The Thirteenth Year
by Silver Sparklze
Summary: When All-American girl Serena Warren turns thirteen, weird things start happening. Who is Sailor Moon, and what does she want! FINISHED
1. Dreams

**Title:** The Thirteenth Year

**Summary:** When All-American girl Serena Warren turns thirteen, weird things start happening. Every night she dreams of the life of a Moon Princess and as time progresses, her dreams become more and more real, so that finally, she cannot distinguish between the life she leads in her dreams and the one she is trying to live during the day.

**Author:** Silver Sparklze

**Reason for Writing:** A challenge, issued by Lunarian Amethyst

**Author's Notes:** Nothing yet…maybe later.

~Dream Sequence: Moon Kingdom, Silver Millennium~

_Princess Serenity gazed down at planet Earth, from her vantage-point on the Moon. She sighed longingly. How she wished she was down there, swimming in the oceans, sitting under the trees, and, most importantly, being with the one person she loved most in the world. Prince Darien._

_Princess Serenity turned around, when she heard her mother, Queen Selenity heading towards her._

_"Hello, daughter," Queen Selenity said gently, taking her daughter's pale outstretched hand. Both she and her daughter had the same hair-style, two odangos placed atop their blonde heads, with hair streaming down to their knees on either side._

_"Hello, Mother." Princess Serenity replied._

_"What are you doing?"_

_"Looking down at Earth." Princess Serenity sighed. "Mother, I miss him so much." Queen Selenity smiled at her sadly._

_"And you will, until the day you see him again. But Serenity, you know that he must stay on Earth, to keep the peace there, just as you must stay here, to do your duty towards your people." Princess Serenity sighed again, nodding._

_"Yes, Mother, I know." She said. Her eyes lightened suddenly, as she spotted the man running towards them both. "Prince Darien!" She cried, "You're here!" Prince Darien frowned, brushing his black hair away from his face, his blue eyes concerned._

_"Thank goodness nothing has happened yet." He said._

_"What is wrong, Prince Darien?" Queen Selenity asked. Prince Darien bowed to Princess Serenity, before turning to Queen Selenity, and bowing to her also._

_"The Negaforce has possessed a lady from Earth named Beryl, and she, in turn, has possessed other humans. They are on their way to attack. You cannot trust anyone from Earth, your Highness." Queen Selenity nodded, sad._

_"Yes, I know," She said, "And it breaks my heart that it has come to this. We must go to war. I am afraid you cannot stay here, Prince Darien. Word will reach my army in but moments and they will try to attack you. Your love to my daughter can never be spoken aloud." Prince Darien nodded, and Princess Serenity gasped, tears filling her expressive blue eyes._

_"No!" She cried, "It cannot be!"_

_"I'm afraid it is so, Princess," Prince Darien said, "But do not worry. I shall fight for the Moon Kingdom, even though it means fighting against my own people, and we shall meet again. I promise you." He hugged Princess Serenity tightly, but did not dare to do more while her mother, the Queen, was watching. Queen Selenity seemed to understand this._

_"I shall leave you to say your farewells. Do not cry, daughter, for I will do everything in my power to protect you all." She left them alone together._

_Princess Serenity clung to Prince Darien, her tears falling freely._

_"You can't leave," She said, "I won't be able to bear it. I love you too much!" Prince Darien hugged her close,_

_"And I love you, Serenity," He replied, "Don't worry, we will meet again. Until then, here is a locket, a symbol of our love for one another." He handed her a gold star shaped locket, which, when she opened it, played her favourite song. _

_"Oh, Darien," She hugged him again, and kissed him passionately, trying to pour all her love into the kiss. Finally, Prince Darien pulled away._

_"Farewell, Princess," He said, before hurrying off._

_Princess Serenity's protectors, fellow warriors, and best friends, the Sailor Scouts all helped her fight, but one by one, beginning with Sailor Jupiter, they all died. Finally, Queen Beryl – as she called herself – attacked Princess Serenity, and she screamed in pain, calling out for somebody, anybody, to help her. Prince Darien heard her pleas, and ran to help. He saved her from the attack, and gently placed her down on the ground, though she clung to him desperately. _

_Queen Beryl was very impressed by his strength._

_"Prince Darien," She said, looking at him greedily, "If you will be my prince, I will spare your precious Princess, and we will rule the world together." Prince Darien looked at Princess Serenity desperately, before replying._

_"Never! I'd rather die than marry an ugly old hag like you!" He shouted._

_"Why you little monster!" Queen Beryl shrieked, and she pulled him up into a tornado of immense power._

_"Darien!" Princess Serenity screamed, grabbing his hand. She was pulled in too, and she yelled her head off in fright, holding Prince Darien's hand tighter. Meanwhile, Queen Selenity had noticed what was going on, and was desperately trying to get close enough to pull her daughter, and, hopefully, Prince Darien, out of Beryl's spell._

_Queen Beryl had obviously seen Queen Selenity coming, for instead of torturing Princess Serenity and Prince Darien any longer, she sent one last energy bolt, and, screaming, both Princess Serenity, and Prince Darien died._

~Galaxy Dorm, Planet Orphanage, New York~

"NO!!!!!!" Serena Warren sat up in bed, yelling her head off. She pressed a hand to her forehead, breathing hard, blue eyes wide with fear. One of her roommates woke up too, and glared at her.

"Go back to sleep, Rena," She said, "We've got a huge test tomorrow morning."

"Sorry, Rochelle," Serena apologised to Rochelle Harvey. "I had a nightmare." Rochelle's face softened.

"Well…ok. But maybe you should tell Miss Jason. These nightmares have been getting worse, and it's almost your 13th birthday."

"I know, I know," Serena pressed her hands to her forehead again. "It's always the same. This girl, who looks just like me, dies, and so does her boyfriend, in this huge war. I can feel every bit of pain, every bit of despair. It's so weird." Another girl, Amelia Mickel woke up then. She turned over, looked at them both, and sighed.

"Another nightmare, Rena?" She asked. Serena nodded mutely.

"Please, Rena, talk to Miss Jason. I'm sure she can help. There has to be an explanation for why you keep on having these nightmares. I just hope they're gone by your birthday." Serena nodded,

"Hai, me too. It'd be a nice present." She said. Amelia looked at her oddly.

"Why are you speaking Japanese?" She asked, "In fact, how do you know any Japanese? Your language at school is German." Serena shook her head,

"Sorry, I dunno," She said, although, actually, she did, in her dream, Princess Serenity and Queen Selenity's discussion was in Japanese, although they switched to English the moment Prince Darien came onto the scene. But Princess Serenity's and Prince Darien's private talk had been in Japanese too. Serena tried to dispel the images. She was reading way too much into this. Perhaps she'd better speak to Miss Jason after all.


	2. Punishment

**Title:** The Thirteenth Year

**Summary:** When All-American girl Serena Warren turns thirteen, weird things start happening. Every night she dreams of the life of a Moon Princess and as time progresses, her dreams become more and more real, so that finally, she cannot distinguish between the life she leads in her dreams and the one she is trying to live during the day.

**Author:** Silver Sparklze

**Reason for Writing:** A challenge, issued by Sage: The Dark Dryad

**Author's Notes:** Mr. Wilson is my old principal…and words written in bold will be translated at the end of the chapter.

Serena Warren was your typical, almost stereotypical American girl. The only thing not typical of an American was the fact that she was an orphan…or, she _thought she was. Her parents had left her on the step of the orphanage, the day after she was born. No one had expected her to live, but she had, and she still lived there._

It was very strange, because blonde babies had been very popular back in the late 1980's, and babies like her had always been snapped up like hotcakes. But for some strange reason, no one had wanted her. This was a fact that troubled Serena…when she could be bothered thinking about it, which wasn't very often. She had too many other things to worry about.

For example, school. She and Amelia were study-nuts, and they both did all their homework the moment they came home from school. Then there were boys. Last year, Serena, and her four dorm-mates and best friends, Rochelle, Amelia, Matty Atkinson, and Louisa Kiki had all discovered that boys _weren't_ as they'd always thought, owners of cooties, and that kissing them was actually a very pleasurable pass-time. 

Only Matty and Serena were blondes, Rochelle, Amelia, and Louisa all having dark hair, ranging from bluey and purple black to red–brown. But they were all boy-maniacs…well, Amelia wasn't really. She'd had her eyes on this really smart guy in their grade for a year now, but she hadn't yet gathered the courage to even speak to him.

All in all, the five members of the Galaxy Dorm (they were all named something like that) were pretty ordinary, with just enough quirkiness to make them interesting.

Serena's eyes popped open the next morning, and she looked at her clock.

"Fizzle, I'm gonna be late!" She cried, pulling on her uniform quickly. She and her friends all had scholarships at the local private day school, all of them except for Rochelle. She'd been accepted to another school, which focused more on sports, something that Rochelle was _extremely _good at.

Serena hurried downstairs, doing her hair in the strange style of the two women in her dream. She liked the look a lot, and decided to grow her hair as long as Princess Serenity's and Queen Selenity's. Then she shook her head, remembering that she was supposed to be trying not to think about the dreams.

"Hurry up, Rena, we're gonna be late for school!" Rochelle yelled. "Honestly, what is _wrong with you lately?! You're acting like a complete ditz!"_

"Leave me alone, Rochelle!" Serena shot back. "I don't complain when _you _sleep in!"

"But seriously, Rena," Matty said, looking concerned, "You've been very out of it lately, and sleeping in a lot. That's not like you, you're usually up with the sun."

"Don't like the sun," Serena muttered, "The moon's prettier." _Now where did _that_ come from?_ She wondered.

"Whatever, let's just go!" Louisa said, bouncing up and down on her heels.

~Dream Sequence: Tsukino House, Tokyo~

_Serena opened her eyes._

What time is it?_ She wondered. She looked at the clock, and, involuntarily, words came out of her mouth;_

_"Oh no! I'm gonna be late!" Serena grabbed her bag, and ran down the stairs, tripping, and landing at the bottom. To Serena's astonishment, it didn't hurt, but she began to cry anyway. Her Mom, a pretty lady with purple-black hair came out of one of the rooms, and sighed._

_"Oh, Serena," She said, "Get up off the floor, and have some breakfast, then get to school!" Serena immediately stopped crying, and followed her into the next room, which turned out to be the kitchen. Once there, her eyes fell on the huge stack of pancakes, and she squealed happily, before devouring three or four in almost one gulp!_

_"Gotta go, Mom, bye!" She yelled, running out the door, bag and lunch in hand._

_She was running as fast as possible, and yet, Serena knew she wasn't going to make it in time.  "Whoa!" She yelped, as she fell over again. She began to cry louder than ever. Her best friend Molly ran up._

_"Oh my god, Serena, are you ok?" She asked.  "Serena? Serena?"_

~Science, Room 10, Wessington Catholic College, New York~

"Serena, Serena, SERENA WARREN!"

"Huh? **Nani**?" Serena woke up slowly, and gulped. Mr. Wilson – her science teacher – did _not look happy. His sallow skin was flushed. Brown eyes wild, and a tick in his forehead was twitching madly._

"Would you _kindly stay __awake in my class?"_

"Sorry, sir." Serena said, wincing inwardly at how sarcastic she sounded.

"Sorry isn't good enough, Serena. That'll be a detention, I think."

"But sir! I have cheerleading practice at lunch!"

"Sorry, Serena, school before pleasure," Serena glared at Mr. Wilson defiantly. There was _no way she was wasting valuable practice time. They had a game coming up!_

"Well I simply won't turn up, then." She said, sniffing.

"That's it! I put up with more than enough cheek from the paying students, without getting it from little charity cases like you, who can't even pay their way through high school because their good-for-nothing parents left them on a doorstep rather than bring them up!"

Serena went scarlet with rage. She knew Dream-Serena would be crying by now, and indeed, she felt a betraying prickle behind her eyelids, but she wasn't about to let the tears get the better of her.  
"Why you prejudiced, over-stuffed, pompous baboon!" She shrieked. My friends and I are _not_ charity cases! We got in here fair and square, by using the gifts we were born with! Our brains! But I suppose you wouldn't know what I mean, would you? You know what they say, if you have a dumb kid, make them a teacher!"

"That's enough!" Mr. Wilson yelled, spittle flying from his mouth, "Go to the principal's office!" Serena smiled sarcastically.

"Yes, sir!" She saluted, and walked out, head held high.

Miss Jenkins took off her glasses, and rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly. Her grey eyes were bloodshot, and her greying black hair was coming out of its bun.

"Why do you do this to me, Serena? Do you _want_ to be expelled? Do you _hate_ me?" She asked.

"On the contrary, Miss, I have nothing but respect for you and the rest of my teachers." Serena said honestly.

"Serena Warren cut the crap!" Miss Jenkins snapped, slamming her hands down on the desk and causing Serena to jump she sighed. "What happened to you, Serena? You were such a good kid."

"I still am!" Serena cried indignantly.

"Are you? It doesn't seem like it, Serena. For the past few weeks you've slept in class, ignored the teachers, been rude, insolent, tardy, and refused to hand in your homework! Are you having problems at home?"

"He called me and my friends-"

"My friends and me, Serena,"

"Right, whatever. He called my friends and me charity cases! And he said we weren't supposed to be here!"

"There will always be people who will resent you for being here, Serena, but you can't go around calling them – especially if they're a teacher – pompous over-stuffed prejudiced baboons." She looked at Serena sternly, "I'm afraid I can't let you get away with this."

"So what am I gonna get? Suspension, a month's detention, what?"

"Hmm…I think…detention, working in administration, being their messenger.  And…you have to write an apology to Mr. Wilson."

"What?! But Miss!" Serena complained.

"No buts. You'll write that apology, and you can be glad that I don't make you say it to him face to face." Miss Jenkins snapped.

"Whatever." Serena grabbed her bag, and stalked out. As the door closed, Miss Jenkins took an aspirin.

"I hate my job." She muttered.

**Nani:** Japanese for what.


	3. Sailor Moon

**Title:** The Thirteenth Year

**Summary:** When All-American girl Serena Warren turns thirteen, weird things start happening. Every night she dreams of the life of a Moon Princess and as time progresses, her dreams become more and more real, so that finally, she cannot distinguish between the life she leads in her dreams and the one she is trying to live during the day.

**Author:** Silver Sparklze

**Reason for Writing:** A challenge, issued by Sage: The Dark Dryad

**Author's Note:** Ok, replies to my reviewers. I've been very slack about replying to my reviewers, but since I have only three, why not?

**Shimmering Angel:** Nope, no one knows about the world on the moon…although I'm thinking of making it a myth that Serena Warren finds.  Whatcha think?

**Silver Moonlight-81: **Thanks; it's nice to know that you liked it. No, Serena Warren and Serena Tsukino aren't the same girl…I suppose you could say that they share a soul. As you'll notice by and by, Serena Warren chose friends quite similar to the Sailor Scouts, because she was drawn to them.

**Sage: The Dark Dryad:** As usual, thank you so much for giving me support in this, Sage. You've been a great help, and thank you _so_ much for giving me the idea. Here's more.

"I heard that you were kicked out of class today, 'Rena," Matty commented casually, as she and Serena drank their cappuccinos. Serena took a bit out of her chocolate muffin affecting carelessness as well.

"I was sleeping, and Mr. Wilson obviously took offence to the fact that I don't love the sound of his voice as much as he does." Matty giggled, there was no love lost between her and Mr. Wilson either, even though Drama, Chemistry and English were her best subjects.

"Good on you. Stupid prick. Always looking down on me because I'm blonde." She screwed up her face and mimicked his voice perfectly, "I hope we're not going to fast for you, Matilda. Tsk, tsk, beauty isn't everything. Please Matilda, don't open your mouth unless you can improve the conversation, or at _least make an adequate contribution." Serena nodded sympathetically, and checked the clock on the wall of the café._

"Fizzle!" She cried, "I'm late for karate _again!"_

"Oh, _Serena_," Matty sighed, as Serena scarfed down the last of her cake and began hurrying out of the café.

"Bye!" She called as she ran.

~Dream Sequence, Tokyo~

_Serena stomped down the street, almost in tears._

_"30%! I can't believe it!" She crumpled the **math** test into a ball, and threw it away behind her._

_"Ow!" The voice made her turn around, and Serena shook her head, seeing the man kissing a girl with silver _odangos_. She blinked, and was back in the present. The man uncrumpled the test, and read the score. "30%? Pathetic."_

_"Shut up! I did my best!"_

_"Sure you did, Meatball Head." Serena recognized the man now. It was Darien Chiba. _

_"Shut it, Darien!" ears flowed down her cheeks, "I have a bit of trouble in math, ok? And my name's Serena!"_

_"Whatever, Meatball Head. Might I suggest a tutor? That's way more than just a bit of trouble." Darien tossed the paper at her, and, instinctively, she caught it. "Nice catch." He walked off._

_Serena stomped home, still rubbing away the tears. She was so engrossed in her own misery that she didn't see the little boys who were tormenting the cat until she was right in front of them. She felt a hot flood of anger rush through her. _Nothing_ angered her more, (except maybe Darien,) than people who tormented animals._

_"Hey!" She yelled, "Leave that cat alone!" The boys, terrified, ran off, and Serena picked up the cat, stroking it gently. "It's ok, kitty," She soothed, "I won't let them hurt you again." She saw that the cat had a band-aid on its forehead. "Oh!" She was strangely angered by this, "Who could have done such a thing?" She took the band-aid off, ignoring the cat's yowl. The cat jumped out of her arms, and stared at her, before running off. Sighing, Serena continued on her way._

_"Is that you, Serena?" Mom called as Serena walked through the door._

_"Yes," Serena replied._

_"What did you get on your math test?" Serena winced, the time had come._

_"I got…I got…I got 30%." She said._

_"What?! Serena Tsukino! Out! Get out!" Serena bolted, not wanting to face her mother's wrath at this particular time. Sammy, Serena's little brother walked out of the house. He glared at Serena._

_"I want a sister smarter than me, not stupider!" He yelled, before running off to play with his friends._

_Serena crept upstairs into her bedroom later, and tried to find the energy to do her homework. She couldn't find it, so she went to sleep instead. When she woke up, the cat she'd rescued earlier was standing in front of her, and the moon was shining in the window. Serena noticed the crescent shape on the cat's head._

_"How odd," She said, "A bald spot in the shape of a moon._

_"It's not a bald spot," The cat said sharply, "How rude!" Serena blinked, then realized she must still be dreaming. She lay back down on her bed._

_"You're not dreaming," The cat said. "My name is Luna. I've been looking everywhere for you, Serena." Under her breath, so low that Serena couldn't be sure she'd heard her, Luna said, "I didn't expect to find a silly blonde crybaby was Sailor Moon." _

_Because Serena wasn't sure she'd said it, she ignored the comment. "Oh, honestly," Luna snapped, "Here," She handed Serena a brooch. Serena grinned, and looked at it, admiring the pretty moon on the piece of jewelry. "There are a lot of strange incidents going on all over Tokyo. The enemy has appeared! Serena, you have to beat this enemy. You were chosen to be a fighter. The other mission is to find the princess with our friends." Luna said. Serena ignored her, and kept playing with the brooch. Luna must have interpreted from her silence that Serena didn't believe her, and acted accordingly. "Say Moon Prism Power," She instructed._

_Serena did as she was told, and felt herself transform into Sailor Moon. She walked over to the mirror, and admired the outfit._

_"Wow," She said, "I look pretty good. I wonder if I could wear this to school instead of my school uniform."_

_"I doubt it," Luna said dryly. Suddenly, Sailor Moon heard the voice of her friend Molly._

_'Help, my mother…" Molly's voice trailed off._

_"Molly!" Sailor Moon cried, "My friend's in trouble!"_

_"Well, come along, then, we must save her!" Luna said. Sailor Moon and Luna jumped out of the bedroom window, and ran off into the night…_

****

~Galaxy Dorm, New York City~

Serena sat bolt upright in bed, and rubbed her head gently. She could hear the music on her stereo, and she pinched her arm to check that she was awake. The dreams were so vivid…and she couldn't help but feel like she really _was Sailor Moon. _

She pondered over the similar looks in Sailor Moon and Princess Serenity. Apart from the hair, then were almost identical. But Princess Serenity was much more regal, and intelligent. As far as Serena was concerned, Dream Serena was a blonde bimbo. Just the kind of person that made people like Matty and Serena look bad. She wondered what Sailor Moon would act like.

She sighed, only one way to find out. Slowly, yet steadily, Serena drifted back to sleep.

~_Dream Sequence, __Tokyo, Molly's Mother's Jewelry Shop~_

_Sailor Moon and Luna burst into the shop, and were horrified, (ok, Sailor Moon was horrified) by what they saw. Molly's mom was choking her!_

_"Stop! Leave Molly alone!" Sailor Moon yelled._

_"Why should I? Who are you?" The woman who looked like Molly's mother but wasn't sneered._

_"I am Sailor Moon, champion of love and justice. In the name of the moon, I will punish you!" Sailor Moon yelled, twisting the words of one of her favourite comic book heroes, Sailor V._

_"Attack!" Yelled the woman/monster thing, and all of the lady/monsters who had been passed out on the floor suddenly got up, and began to attack Sailor Moon. Startled, Sailor Moon began to cry._

_"Sailor Moon! Stop this! Nothing will be resolved if you stand there and cry! You have to fight!" Luna yelled. Serena ignored her, and only began to wail louder. _

_Suddenly, a red rose landed in front of Sailor Moon, and stopped the lady/monsters from hurting Sailor Moon._

_"Who are _you_?!" The woman/monster asked._

_"I am Tuxedo Mask! You will not hurt Sailor Moon!" The man cried. "Sailor Moon, you must fight to save your friend Molly." Sailor Moon stopped crying, and couldn't help but smile Tuxedo Mask. Hey, he'd saved her life after all. She nodded._

_"Ok!" She said. Then her smile dropped, "How?"_

_"Use your tiara and shout Moon Tiara Magic." Luna instructed. Instinctively, Sailor Moon did as she was told._

_"Moon Tiara MAGIC!" She yelled, flicking her wrist and throwing her tiara like a discus. Immediately, all the lady/monsters changed back into women, who all looked very confused as to why they were there. Sailor Moon couldn't have cared less. She turned around to thank Tuxedo Mask, but he'd already disappeared. Shrugging, she went home; convinced she'd see him again…_

~Galaxy Dorm, New York~

Serena sat up, gasping for breath. She pressed a hand to her forehead. It was so weird how real the dreams were. She could feel a crying headache already. She frowned, wondering about Tuxedo Mask. He reminded her of someone…someone that she'd met long ago…but couldn't quite remember…


	4. Tenkousei Ami Mizuno

**Title:** The Thirteenth Year

**Summary:** When All-American girl Serena Warren turns thirteen, weird things start happening. Every night she dreams of the life of a Moon Princess and as time progresses, her dreams become more and more real, so that finally, she cannot distinguish between the life she leads in her dreams and the one she is trying to live during the day.

**Author:** Silver Sparklze

**Reason for Writing:** A challenge, issued by Sage: The Dark Dryad

**Author's Notes:** Words written in bold will be translated at the end of the chapter.    Heya peeps. Sorry for making you wait an extra week, my mum went to NSW last week, so I had to stay at a friend's. I feel really guilty now. L

**Kawaii Lily: **Thanks. J That's so sweet!

**Marni: **Yeah, it is interesting. But I'd hate it, wouldn't you? *shudders*

**Silver Moonlight-81:** Thanks. Your comment means a lot to me.

**Sage: The Dark Dryad:** Thanks. I'm really glad you like it.

**Dedicated to my little sister Celeste. Happy Birthday!**

"'Rena! 'Rena!"

"Huh? Wha?" Serena looked up from the manga she was reading. Amelia rolled her eyes.

"Serena, I've been calling you for 10 minutes. Is something wrong?" She asked.

"No…sorry…I just didn't hear…" Serena answered. Just then, Amelia spotted the manga.

"Er…Serena…you don't understand Japanese, right?" She asked.

"Right…" Serena replied, wondering where this was going,

"And you can't read it, right?"

"Uh huh…"

"Then why are you reading a Japanese manga comic that's _written in Japanese_?"

"It is?" Serena looked at the cover, noticing for the first time that it _was_ written in Japanese. Now that she was looking at it properly, she couldn't understand it, although she knew perfectly well that it was a Sailor V manga. How strange…she hadn't even realised. "Oh…uh…I'm studying the artwork for…art!" She said, thankful that she'd come up with such a good excuse. After all, her friends all figured that the dreams were over now…

~Dream Sequence, Tokyo, The Arcade~

_Serena followed Luna to The Arcade. She knew she ought to be in bed asleep, but she just couldn't. Perhaps it was those five peanut-butter sandwiches that she'd had after dinner. She blinked when Luna pressed her paw to one of the screens, and it flickered._

_"Password?" The computer intoned._

_"Princess of the Moon has bunny shoes." Luna replied._

_"Winkin Blinkin and Nod." The computer answered. "What's the update on Sailor Moon?"_

_"She's a clumsy klutzy cry baby with no brains." Luna said crisply. Serena gasped, tears filling her eyes. "However, she's also sweet, sensitive, and has a great sense of humour and justice. Her first few battles didn't go too well, but I think we're on our way."_

_"Good. There's a new monster from the Nega-verse after you. We think it may be trying to stop you from succeeding in your mission to find the other scouts and the Moon Princess."_

_"I'll see what I can do," Luna said, "End transmission." The screen went blank._

_Serena checked the scoreboard at school the net day to see how she did on her test. She sighed when she realised that she'd come in last again._

_"Are you ok, Serena?" Molly asked._

_"I'm fine." Serena replied. She scanned the list, and gasped. "**Masaka!**" She cried. "_**_Tenkousei_******_Ami Mizuno got the highest score in all of Japan!!"_

_"What? Are you sure?" Molly glanced at the list. "Gosh, you're right!" Suddenly, her face changed. "You know what I heard? I heard that she studies at the _Crystal Seminar Cram School_!"_

_"No _wonder_ she gets such good grades." Serena said enviously. She noticed that Ami Mizuno was glancing their way, and she quickly changed the subject. "Andrew Motoki is _so_ cute." She said loudly, before dragging Molly away._

_Serena was walking home from school when she noticed that Ami was right ahead of her. She was surprised when Luna leapt out and landed on her shoulder. Luna didn't look too happy at first, but Ami's gentle stroking soon won her over._

_"Luna!" Serena called, running up, and, by some fantastic feat, managing _not_ to fall over._

_"Oh!" Ami placed a hand to her chest, "You startled me."_

_"**Gomen nasai**." Serena bowed, "I didn't mean to."_

_"That's all right." Ami stroked Luna again. "Is she your cat?"_

_"Yes." Serena nodded. "Her name's Luna."_

_"Oh, what a pretty name. She has an interesting marking on her head, doesn't she?"_

_"Er…yes…" Serena said slowly. "She had that when she was born."_

_"Oh. Ok. I thought she was an angel for a second there, when she jumped onto my shoulder" Ami smiled brightly._

_"Nah, she's just Luna. My name's Serena Tsukino." _It might be handy to be friends with Ami. She's a genius, so maybe she can help me get better grades._ Serena thought to herself._

_"I'm Ami Mizuno. Nice to meet you."_

_"Yes, you too." Serena bowed politely._

_"Serena, don't trust her," Luna whispered, "She has a strange aura, I think she's a monster from the Nega-verse."_

_"Are you sure?" Serena replied, "She looks pretty normal to me."_

_"Pardon? Were you saying something, Serena?" Ami asked, turning around. Serena shook her head wildly._

_"No! Oh no! Nothing!" She babbled. "Say, wanna come to the Crown Game Center with me?"_

_"Sure," Ami nodded happily._

_"Ok, let's go," Serena led her there, babbling about the Center's owner, Andrew, the whole way._

_"Here we are," Serena said, sweeping her arm around the noisy building._

_"It's a bit loud…isn't it?" Ami asked, wincing._

_"Nah, it's actually pretty quiet." Serena replied. "C'mon, they've got the new Sailor V game in, wanna play?"_

_"I've never played a video game before," Ami began doubtfully._

_"**Uso daro, konna! **How can you have never played a video game before?!" Serena was dumbfounded. "Ah well, never mind. I can teach you." Serena proceeded to bash the hell out of the keys, but only managed to kill five monsters before she died. "**Chikusho!** I _always_ die!" Serena wailed. "Here, you have a go." She put in some more money, and gestured for Ami to sit down._

_"Oh…no…I couldn't…" Ami said slowly._

_"C'mon! Have a go." Serena coaxed._

_"**Eto…**ok…I'll have a go." Ami agreed. She sat down, and began to play. Serena watched in disbelief as Ami racked up a high score in a matter of seconds!_

_"Are you _sure_ that you've never played before?" She asked sceptically._

_"Yes. Never in my life." Ami replied. She took her eyes off the screen for a moment, and gasped. "Oh no!" She cried; "I've gotta go. I'm late for cram school." She ran off, forgetting that she'd left her disk on the bench. Andrew walked over, and picked it up._

_"Damn!" He said, "She left her disk here! And I've got an important appointment."_

_"I'll take it to her, Andrew," Serena said, thinking this might be a good way to see inside the legendary cram school._

_"Would you? Thanks, Serena."_

_"You're welcome." Serena took the disk, and she and Luna ran off to the cram school._

_Serena stood at the door of the Crystal Seminar Cram School. She looked at the poster on one side. It was advertising a new disk, called the 'Crystal Disk', which supposedly could make anyone a genius._

_"I don't like that." Luna said. "It seems suspicious."_

_"Oh, hush, Luna," Serena scolded. "It's just a stupid disk. It probably doesn't even work."_

_"Talking to yourself again Meatball Head?" Serena turned around, and saw Darien Chiba._

_"Shut up, **baka**." Serena snapped. "My name is _Serena_. Not Meatball Head."_

_"Whatever. You here to study? You certainly need it." Serena glared at him. "By the way, was your _cat_ talking?"_

_"What?!" Serena was sure her face was bright red. "Don't be an idiot. How can a _cat_ talk? It's just a stupid animal. Ouch!" Luna had dug her claws into Serena's shoulder._

_"I don't think your cat liked that remark." Darien smirked. "Cya Meatball Head."_

_"It's Serena!" Serena yelled after him._

_"That was close," Luna remarked. "We'd better go back to the school and check this out."_

_"But I can't use a computer!" Serena protested as she followed Luna._

_Serena watched as Luna tapped away on the computer adeptly._

_"Ah hah! Just as I suspected." Luna said. "This disk has a brain-washing program on it. Ami _must_ be from the Nega-verse!"_

_Serena and Luna once again stood outside the Crystal Seminar Cram School. This time, Serena was debating whether or not she should go inside._

_"Serena!" Luna snapped, "Stop daydreaming and transform!"_

_"No," Serena said, "I have a better idea. _Luna Pen Disguise Power! Make me into a hip nurse so I can enter the building!_" She transformed into a school nurse, and ran inside. Then she hurried into the classroom. "Get away from those computers!" Serena yelled, "Don't you know too much studying makes you dull-witted?"_

_"You shouldn't interfere." Ami said, "We're trying to work."_

_"You won't get away with this, Nega-sleaze!" Serena replied, "_Moon Prism Power!_" She transformed into Sailor Moon. Ami stood there, mouth open. Suddenly, the teacher appeared, and grabbed Ami._

_"Who are you?"_

_"I am Sailor Moon, champion of justice. I right wrongs and triumph over evil, and that means you!" Sailor Moon said._

_"Nice to see you here, Sailor Moon." The Nega-monster sneered._

_"I knew Ami wasn't from the Nega-verse!" Sailor Moon said triumphantly._

_"But I sensed _something_." Luna protested._

_"Enough of this!" The Nega-monster commanded. "I have a question for you, Sailor Moon. The genius Newton's question; Why did the apple fall from the tree?"_

_"Don't ask me, as the apple." Was Sailor Moon's smart reply. Ami slapped her hand to her forehead._

_"Hah ha!" Yelled the Nega-monster in triumph. She shot a bunch of test papers at Sailor Moon, who dodged them, shrieking in fear when they blew up a computer right behind her._

_"The correct answer is gravity." Luna hissed._

_"Oh, right, I knew that." Sailor Moon said, jumping out of the way yet again. "The reason the apple fell from the tree is because of the Earth's gravity!" _

_"Very good," Said the Nega-monster. "Question 2: Explain what gravity is in under fifty words."_

_"That's impossible." Sailor Moon replied. Something told her this was the wrong answer, perhaps the way the Nega-monster sent the zombie students walking towards her. Sailor Moon dodged their attacks, not wanting to hurt them, since they were people. She watched, helpless, as the Nega-monster pressed Ami's forehead against the screen._

_"Give up your mental energy to the Nega-verse." She requested. She noticed that it wasn't working. "You haven't been using your crystal disk!" She yelled._

_"Studying is something done with your mind, not with a computer or a stupid disk." Ami retorted. She cried out in pain when the Nega-monster pushed her harder against the monitor. It was then that Luna and Sailor Moon saw a strange blue symbol shine on Ami's forehead._

_"Mrow!" Luna yelled, jumping into the air and creating a new wand. She slid it towards Ami. "Say _Mercury Power!_" She instructed. Ami took the stick, and did just that._

_"_Mercury Power!_" Ami held up the wand, and Sailor Moon watched in surprise as Ami transformed into a Sailor Scout. She had a white leotard, just like Sailor Moon, but with a pale blue bow and bright blue skirt. Her neck ribbon was bright blue, and so were her knee-length boots. Sailor Moon's boots were red, as were her bow and her neck ribbon. Her skirt, however, was the same bright blue as Sailor Mercury's._

_"What?! Who are _you_?" The Nega-monster shrieked._

_"I am Sailor Mercury. How dare you use people's minds for your own evil deeds! People's minds are their own!" Sailor Mercury yelled._

_"Say _Mercury Bubbles_." Luna instructed._

_"_Mercury Bubbles!_" Soon the whole room was filled with a thick mist. Sailor Moon struggled to find Mercury and Luna._

_"Sailor Mercury, Luna, where are you?" She called._

_"Over here." Sailor Mercury emerged from the mist with Luna on her shoulder. Slowly, the mist faded away. The Nega-monster was stumbling._

_"_Moon tiara magic!_" Sailor Moon yelled, and the Nega-monster turned back into the teacher, who fell to the ground, as did the other students._

_"Wow," Sailor Mercury whispered._

_"I'm sorry for thinking you were from the Nega-verse." Luna apologised for the thousandth time._

_"That's all right," Ami said, "I forgive you." She turned to Serena. "I can't _wait_ to fight more monsters," She said, "It was absolutely amazing._

_"Yes, it was," Serena agreed, although she was worried because Ami was obviously a lot more powerful, and if Ami hadn't been there, she knew that she'd have lost the battle…_

~A park bench in Central Park, New York~

Serena jerked awake, and pushed some of her blonde hair out of her eyes, breathing heavily.

"Whoa, what an intense dream." She muttered; ignoring the strange looks she was getting from passers by. She grabbed her stuff, (the initial reason she'd been in the park was to study,) and headed for home, trying not to think how much Ami Mizuno looked like Amelia…

**Well? What do you think? Was it good? I'm trying, but it's really quite hard to remember the episodes…**

**Masaka!: **Japanese for I don't believe it!

**Tenkousei: **Japanese for transfer/exchange student.

**Gomen Nasai: **Japanese for I'm sorry/very sorry.

**Uso daro, konna!:** Japanese for you've _got_ to be kidding me!

**Chikusho!:** Japanese for damn!

**Eto…: **Japanese for hmm…

**Baka: **Japanese for stupid.


	5. Honoo no senshi toujou! The fighter of f...

**Title:** The Thirteenth Year

**Summary:** When All-American girl Serena Warren turns thirteen, weird things start happening. Every night she dreams of the life of a Moon Princess and as time progresses, her dreams become more and more real, so that finally, she cannot distinguish between the life she leads in her dreams and the one she is trying to live during the day.

**Author:** Silver Sparklze

**Reason for Writing:** A challenge, issued by Sage: The Dark Dryad

**Author's Notes:** Words written in bold will be translated at the end of the chapter.

**Silver Moonlight-81:** Hi, nice to hear from you again. J Hope you like the chapter.

**Sage: The Dark Dryad:** I can always rely on you to review. Thanks for Andrew's last name, I was at a total loss, so I figured I'd just use his Jap first name as his last.

Serena followed Rochelle and Amelia to the local mall, her head hanging. She was absolutely exhausted, and her ankle hurt terribly. She didn't know why. Perhaps because last night Sailor Moon had twisted her ankle while fighting a nega-monster from the Nega-verse.

"'Rena, you ok?" Amelia asked.

"I'm fine." Serena replied automatically.

"Don't lie, 'Rena. What's wrong? You might as well tell us." Rochelle contradicted.

"I'm _fine_, Rochelle. Just a bit tired."

"_Tired_? _Tired_?! You have _got_ to be kidding me! How can you be _tired_?! You've spent almost all your time sleeping since your thirteenth birthday. What's so cool about your dreams that you wanna sleep so much?!" Rochelle spat.

"N-nothing…I'm just really tired…"

"Perhaps you've got anaemia." Amelia said thoughtfully; "Maybe you should go to the doctor."

"Maybe…" Serena trailed off.

"Who cares, let's go?!" Rochelle led them into the mall.

"Serena, are you gonna come in?" Matty asked. She and Louisa had met up with Rochelle and Amelia outside the Computer Café.

"Nah, I'm gonna go to the library and study for that science quiz." Serena said.

"Ok. Catch ya at the home then."

"Sure." Serena got up and headed for the library, stopping in at Starbucks on the way to buy a frappuccino. 

~Dream Sequence, The Bus Stop, Tokyo~

_Serena was walking slowly home from school one afternoon when she saw the police cars driving past. She grinned when she saw Ami at the bus stop._

_"Hi, Ami!" She said, smiling_

_"Hi, Serena, hi Luna." Ami replied. "**O genki desu ka?**"_

_"I'm good, you?"_

_"I'm good. Do you know what's happening?"_

_"With the police cars?"_

_"**Hai**." Ami nodded._

_"**Iie**. Sorry."_

_"It's not your fault." Ami turned back to the bus time-table._

_"Where are you going?"_

_"To cram school."_

_"You're taking the bus? Why don't you just walk?"_

_"I feel like taking the bus. I can get more reading done on there."_

_"Why do you go to cram school anyway? It's not like you need the help." _Not like me._ Serena thought privately._

_"Now that I'm a senshi I need as much knowledge as possible so that I can help you and Luna fight the Nega-verse." Ami explained. Serena smiled at Molly when she walked up, another friend of theirs, Sadi, trailing behind her._

_"Hi, Molly, hi, Sadi." Serena said, bowing._

_"Hello, Serena." The both chorused, grinning._

_"Did you hear?" Sadi asked, "A busload of people disappeared just up the road from here. The police are very worried. They're going to investigate."_

_"Oh no, how awful." Ami exclaimed._

_"Yeah," Molly agreed. "Sadi and I are heading to the Hikawa Shrine to get a good luck charm off the girl who works there. They're supposed to work really well."_

_"Can you get one for me, Serena?" Ami asked, digging in her purse for some money._

_"Why don't you come with us?" Serena asked._

_"Because I've got to go to cram school. There's a mock-test coming up, and I don't want to get sick while I study."_

_"Ok. See you later, Ami." The three girls called._

_"**Ja**!"_

_Serena, Molly, and Sadi all headed for the Hikawa temple. Once there, a short fat man accosted them. _**((No prizes for guessing who _he_ is ****J****!))**__

_"Hello, girls!" He crowed. "My you're cuties! Would you like to come and work for me?"_

_"Grandpa!" A pretty girl with long black-purple hair and dark brown eyes walked up. "**Gomen**," She apologised, "My grandfather is a bit weird." She sighed. "There've been some bad rumours about him going around recently."_

_"That's ok." Serena said. "My name's Serena Tsukino, and these are my friends; Molly _**((Ack, dunno her last name))**_, and Sadi Tomodachi."_

_"Oh! How rude of me. My name's Rei Hino. I'm the fire reader here, and my grandpa owns the temple."_

_"Nice to meet you, Rei." Molly said politely._

_"This seems like a nice place to work." Serena said thoughtfully. Luna frowned when she saw the man who was sweeping the path. He looked very familiar, but she couldn't place him._

_Suddenly, Luna saw the man who was sweeping blast three girls who were leaving the shrine, causing them to faint. Rei must have felt something too, because she jumped, and slapped an anti-evil talisman onto Serena's head. Serena passed out immediately._

_When Serena woke up, she saw a really cute guy walking by with a toolbox._

_"Wow," She remarked, "He's cute."_

_"Hey, you're right, he's gorgeous." Molly agreed. She turned to Rei, "Is he your brother?"_

_"No. Grandpa has a habit of picking up people. He doesn't care if it is girls or boys. So he picked up that guy when he came here. Now he is living here with us, and working for us. I'm sorry Serena. Something is wrong with me recently. All of my feelings and predictions are wrong." Luna jumped up on the bed, and whispered in Serena's ear;_

_"Serena, she could be the princess."_

_"Unh." Serena groaned to cover up the fact that her cat had just spoken._

_When Serena and the others left the shrine, Molly and Sadi left, apologising, but saying that they had too much homework to linger. Luna took on look around, and scowled._

_"Serena, there's something wrong here." She said, "I think the Nega-verse is involved. Call Ami."_

_"I can't; she's busy." Serena protested._

_"Too many people have vanished, Serena. Call her now." Serena subsided, and called her quickly._

_By the time Ami had arrived, the bus was there, and all of the girls who had bought good luck charms were on it._

_"Come on, Serena, let's get on it too," Ami urged, "It's the quickest way home." To Serena's own surprise, she did not want to get on that bus._

_"No, let's walk, it's much healthier anyway." She babbled. Neither Ami nor Serena could believe their eyes when the bus vanished right in front of them moments later._

~Galaxy Dorm, Planet Orphanage, New York~

Serena sat up in bed, breathing hard. She rubbed her eyes gently, and lay back so that she could think. 

"Ok," She said to herself, "Let's think about this calmly, calmly and rationally. Ami is Sailor Mercury, Dream-Serena is Sailor Moon, and this Rei girl…she looks like Rochelle…sort of…except Rochelle's hair is curly and only reaches her chin…perhaps Rei _is_ this princess that Luna was talking about. At any rate, she's important, I can feel it." Serena was anxious to find out what was going to happen next, so she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

~Hikawa Shrine, Tokyo~

_Serena and Luna headed for the shrine the next morning. When she got there, she saw Rei sweeping the front stoop, muttering to herself about vanishing buses._

_"Hi, Rei, what's the matter?" Serena asked._

_"Nothing. Well, I'm just worried, because another bus vanished yesterday." Rei replied._

_"I saw it! It was the six o'clock bus!"_

_"Are you saying it's our fault as well?! The police have _already_ been here! They've threatened to close us down!" Rei yelled._

_"No! I didn't mean that at all." Serena exclaimed._

_"Just go home!"_

_"Fine. I'll see you again tomorrow." Serena left, leaving a strange pen that Luna had given her behind._

_"Luna, why did you want me to give Rei that pen?" Serena asked later that day as she sat at the bus stop and did her homework – a rare occurrence, and one that Luna was reluctant to comment upon._

_"There's something that I want to check out."_

_"What?"_

_"None of your business. Now hush." Serena 'hushed' until the bus arrived, and Luna told her that they'd have to get on it._

_"What?! No! Ami's not here yet. I'm scared!" Serena wailed._

_"Serena! Stop acting like a baby!" As the bus was pulling away, Serena made a decision and pulled out her Luna pen._

_"_Disguise Power_ turn me into an ultra cool stewardess!"_

_"What are you doing?" Luna asked._

_"I'll feel braver this way." Serena explained. Luna only sighed, and muttered 'Why do I even bother?' So Serena assumed that it was ok, and hopped onto the bus._

_When she got on there, she was amazed to discover that everyone was unconscious. She ran back to the door, but it was closed tight, and all she saw was Ami running for the bus as it disappeared…_

~Common Room, Planet Orphanage, NewYork~

"'Rena!"

"Uh....hi, Natasha." Serena said, struggling to breathe as one of her old friends embraced her.

Natasha Trix had long straight red hair and bright blue eyes. She was a bit of a ditz, and very over-affectionate. She and Serena had been best friends while in Nursery School, before Natasha had been adopted, and moved to Jamaica. Now Natasha's hair was a copper colour, and her skin was dark. 

"Fancy seeing you again." Natasha's smile widened, if that was possible. 

"Yeah, well, I managed to convince my parents that I wanted to come and see this place again. Mum was really worried that it might hold bad memories for me, but I managed to persuade them that this place held nothing but happy ones. Memories, I mean."

"Oh…of course. So…how have you been?"

"I've been great! Jamaica is excellent! What about you?"

"I've been ok, too."

"Fantastic!" Serena rubbed her forehead. She was getting a headache.

"**Shizuka ni shiro**," She muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just…thinking aloud."

"In Japanese?"

"You knew I was speaking Japanese?"

"I've heard other people." Was all Natasha said.

"Ok…Well, sorry, I have to go. Heaps of homework." Serena gathered up her books, and the book report that she'd been trying to write on _Jane Eyre_ before she'd fallen asleep, and ran out of the Orphanage Common Room.

~Dream Sequence, Somewhere…uh…somewhere?~

_Serena looked around, lip trembling._

_"Luna, I'm scared. I don't want to do this anymore." She said pitifully._

_"Oh, Serena, don't worry." Luna sighed. At that moment, Rei fell through a hole in the bus roof, and the bus driver (who was the only one not asleep) caught her. Serena gulped, and decided to transform._

_"_Moon Prism Power!_" She yelled, transforming into Sailor Moon quickly. She quickly attacked the bus driver, who was choking Rei. A strange mark glowed red on Rei's forehead. Luna yowled and bit the bus driver, causing him to drop Rei. Rei fell to the ground, gasping for breath._

_"Use the pen Serena gave you. Say Mars Power." Luna commanded._

_"Wh-what?! A talking cat? I must have lost more oxygen than I thought." Rei muttered._

_"Just do it!" Luna yelled._

_"_Mars Power!_" Rei said, and she transformed into Sailor Mars. She blinked, looking at her costume in surprise._

_"Cool." Sailor Moon said approvingly, glancing over the short red skirt, and the purple bow. Sailor Mars wore red high heels and a red neck ribbon. Other than the difference in footwear, colour of the bow, skirt, and neck ribbon, her outfit was just like Sailor Moon's and Sailor Mercury's._

_"_Mars Fire Ignite!_" Sailor Mars yelled, and the fire blasted towards the bus driver. He disappeared immediately._

_"Oh no!" Luna exclaimed, "The power of Mars' fire is vaporising the hole into this dimension. We have to leave quickly!"_

_"How?" Sailor Moon asked._

_"I don't know…" Luna whispered._

_Suddenly, a light shone through the darkness. Sailor Mars was the first to spot it._

_"Look!" She cried._

_"It must be Sailor Mercury showing us the way home!" Sailor Moon said. Tuxedo Mask came by, driving a bus._

_"Hurry up, Sailor Scouts!" He yelled._

_"Wow," Sailor Mars said softly, so softly that only Sailor Moon heard her, "He's cute." Sailor Moon glared at her. _Back off, b****,_ She thought, _He's mine_._

_"Let's get on the bus." Sailor Moon said shortly, and they both hopped on, and returned to the normal dimension._

_Sailor Moon hugged Ami as soon as she got out of the bus. Then Sailor Moon went back to the bus. Tuxedo Mask was already gone. _

_"He's gone…" Sailor Mars said. _

_"It can't be… You don't like Tuxedo Mask too?" _

_"I just wanted to say thanks. You're the one with a stupid one-sided crush on him. _

_"One sided…" Sailor Moon began to cry._

~Galaxy Dorm, Planet Orphanage, New York~

Serena sat up, and rubbed the tears from her eyes. Rei reminded her of Rochelle. _Really_ reminded her.

"What a b****." She muttered, scowling. She didn't want to admit that she was beginning to crush on Tuxedo Mask.

**O genki desu ka?:** how are you?

**Hai: **yes

**Iie: **no

**Ja:** See ya

**Gomen: **Sorry

**Shizuka ni shiro: **Shut up


	6. Serena: 'I HATE aeroplanes'

**Title:** The Thirteenth Year

**Summary:** When All-American girl Serena Warren turns thirteen, weird things start happening. Every night she dreams of the life of a Moon Princess and as time progresses, her dreams become more and more real, so that finally, she cannot distinguish between the life she leads in her dreams and the one she is trying to live during the day.

**Author:** Silver Sparklze

**Reason for Writing:** A challenge, issued by Sage: The Dark Dryad

**Author's Notes:** OMG, I am sooo sorry to have taken so long, guys. I'm just so busy with exams atm, and then my comp shut down and I had to rewrite the whole chapter. Luckily, BT was ok, but I decided not to upload any more until I had finished this chapter, since I make a point of trying to upload both stories at the same time. Anywho, this should be out by the 7th of December, since that's when I finish my exams.

~Common Room, Planet Orphanage, New York~

"_Under a summer sky, gonna be with you, and no one's gonna be around. If you think you won't fall, well just wait until, 'til the sun goes down. Underneath the starlight, starlight, there's a magical feeling, so right, it'll steal your heart tonight. You can try to resist, try to hide from my kiss, but you know, but you know that you, can't fight the moonlight, deep in the dark, you'll surrender your heart, but you know, but you know that you, can't fight the moonlight, no oh you can't fight it. It's gonna get to your heart._" Serena sang softly, before smiling ironically at the appropriateness of the song. "Can't fight the moonlight, indeed." She muttered, "That's just how I feel."

"Hey, 'Rena, look at this!" Serena turned around to see Amelia practically dancing in delight.

"What, Ames?" Serena asked.

"There's a story writing competition. Some Japanese Manga writing company is holding it, and the winner gets to have their story made into a manga! Better yet, they get to go to Japan!" Amelia _did_ do a little dance then. "You should _so _enter, Serena," She said, suddenly serious, "You're a fantastica writer, and fantasy is your favourite genre. And that's just the one they're doing it on."

"What could I write about?" Serena asked.

"Anything. Anything at all. Ooh! What about that dream that you used to have, about the Moon Princes? Surely you could lengthen her story, and write that?"

"What would I write? That she after she died, her mother sent her soul to Earth to be reincarnated in another body, and now she spends her time living a double life, normal girl during the day, and superhero at night?" Serena laughed bitterly. Amelia stared at her, blue eyes wide.

"Whoa, that's brilliant. I'll bet you'd win with _that_ story." She gushed.

"Whatever. When does it have to be due?"

"At the beginning of next year." Amelia told her.

"Oh. Well that's _months_ away! Five, at least." Serena was relieved. "Look, I'm really tired, I'm going to bed." She walked out of the Common Room, which she'd been dusting, and upstairs to bed.

~Dream Sequence, Tsukino Backyard, Tokyo~

_Serena sighed, and rolled onto her back. _Andrew's so cute. _She sighed._ How good would it be if Andrew were Tuxedo Mask?_ Suddenly, Jadeite (the current Nega-sleaze) appeared in the sky. He grinned wickedly,_

_"Listen Sailor Scouts! It's time to settle this. At 1 AM tomorrow night, come to the F runway of Haneda airport. If you don't come, I'll..." Serena gasped as an illusion of Tokyo burning appeared. "That was an illusion. But if you don't come, I'll make Tokyo a sea of fire."_

_"We've _got_ to fight." Rei argued. "We can't just let him burn Tokyo to the ground."_

_"But it's a trap, I _know_ it is." Ami protested. "What if something happens? We could be seriously injured. Or worse, we could die!"_

_"Ami's right, Rei. You _could_ die. And that wouldn't help anyone." Luna said briskly. Ami threw Rei a triumphant look, and Serena hid a smile. "But then, Rei's right too. You can't just let Tokyo burn."_

_"I don't want to go, I'm scared." Serena said honestly. "But I don't want Tokyo to burn either. I'll do it. But just in case, perhaps you should check out where all the exits are, Ami?" She savoured their astonished faces. She could almost _see_ their minds trying to deal with the fact that she'd said something sensible._

_"Well, that's settled then," Luna murmured dazedly, "We'll go."_

_"Did you hear?" Serena heard one girl whisper to another, "The Sailor Scouts are having a duel with some evil guy tonight."_

_"Really? Cool." Her companion replied._

_"Oh no," Serena said to Luna, "Everyone's talking about it. If they all go there, they'll get caught in the battle. Perhaps I shouldn't go."_

_"What?!" Luna exclaimed._

_"Relax, I'm only joking." Serena grinned._

_"Hey, Serena!" Serena turned around and saw Molly._

_"Hi, Molly." She replied. Molly and Melvin, a classmate walked up._

_"Did you hear about that fight between the man in the sky and the Sailor Scouts?" Molly asked. "Personally, I think it's all a big joke."_

_"I think that it must be aliens from another planet." Melvin said._

_"Melvin, you watch too many trashy movies." Molly said scornfully._

_"Well, whatever it is, I'm going to go see it." Molly said. Just then, their teacher, Miss Haruna came in._

_"You can't." She said sharply._

_"Yeah! If you have time to be playing at night, you should study at home." Serena agreed quickly. Miss Haruna checked her temperature. Serena couldn't help but burst into tears._

_Serena met Rei and Ami at the monorail station. She shifted from one foot to the other rather nervously, shivering in the cold Tokyo air._

_"How are we going to get to the Airport?" She asked Ami. Rei snorted, and Ami pointed to the car that was driving towards them._

_"I have a suspicion that we're supposed to get into the car." She said. The car (which had no driver) stopped smoothly beside them, and one door opened. They all piled in._

_"Shouldn't we transform?" Serena whispered. (She didn't know why, but it seemed like the thing to do.) __"This is weird. I don't like it at all." There was no driver, and that really creeped Serena out._

_"Shh, no, we're going to take a look around first." Ami replied, also in a soft voice._

_"Why?"___

_"Shut up, Serena." Rei said irritably. Serena huddled further down in the seat, and stroked Luna for comfort. _Why can't I be normal?!_ Her thoughts wailed. Finally, they reached the airport, and all three of the girls hopped out._

_"There are quite a few policemen around." Luna observed from her vantage point on Serena's shoulder._

_"Yes. How odd. You wouldn't think there'd be so many, would you?" Ami agreed._

_"How are we supposed to do our job if they're here?" Re asked, pouting._

_"They're trying to do their job, too." Serena pointed out._

_"Shut up brain dead."_

_"Don't call me names!"_

_"Then don't be an idiot!"_

_"Stop it!"_

_"Enough, both of you." Ami snapped. "We're here to save the world, not to argue."_

_"Other people have normal careers; _I _get to be a superhero." Serena grumbled. _

_"Quit complaining spaghetti brain." Rei said, almost automatically. "I don't like this," She continued, "There's a bad feeling about this place." Suddenly, the police officers turned around, and headed towards them, evil intent written clearly across their faces. Rei quickly got rid of them, and pushed Ami and Serena away._

_"I wonder why those guards were trying to hurt us." Serena said musingly._

_"It's a mystery," Ami agreed, "One that I intend to figure out. _MERCUY POWER!_" She quickly transformed, and Rei followed her lead._

_"_MARS POWER!_" They both stood in front of Serena who also transformed. Mercury got out her little computer, and had soon figured out that the policemen were actually made of sand._

_"Hit 'em with your fire, Mars." Sailor Moon yelled. She wasn't sure why she was yelling; it just seemed like the right thing to do in such a situation._

_"_MARS FIRE IGNITE!_" Mars yelled, as if in direct response to Sailor Moon's prompting. The policemen disappeared, and the sand floated away. Suddenly, just when they were beginning to feel good about themselves, Jadeite appeared, grinning madly._

_"Wonderful." He said mockingly, "You have helped me greatly. __Thank you for joining me, girls. And an even bigger thank you for revealing your identities. Queen Beryl _will_ be pleased." _

Oh no!_ Sailor Moon thought in dismay. _This isn't good.

_"Now, no need to look so sad." Jadeite said mockingly, "You're going to die tonight anyway." Suddenly, some airplanes started moving towards them. Jadeite disappeared, still laughing._

_"MARS FIRE-" Sailor Mars began._

_"Stop, Mars." Luna commanded. "Airplanes are very expensive, and if you damaged one your children's children's children would still be paying for it."_

_"Well, there's only one thing to do, then." Sailor Mercury said sensibly._

_"What's that?" Sailor Moon asked._

_"Run!" They all sprinted out of the way of the plane, only to have it turn in their direction and continue rumbling towards them, picking up speed. Eventually, they had to stop, as the runway ended in the ocean. Jadeite appeared._

_"I have you now." He cackled evilly. Suddenly, a red rose flew in front of the planes, stopping them. Tuxedo Mask appeared._

_"It's not right to use Earth's weapons against her people." He said reprovingly, "Nor is it fair. You should fight them face to face, rather than taking the cowards way out." He and Jadeite had a little duel, during which Sailor Moon noticed exactly how well Tuxedo Mask could use his cane. Unfortunately, both Jadeite and Tuxedo Mask disappeared, tumbling into the sea. Sailor Moon gasped, eyes filling with worried tears, which soon fell when Jadeite returned and Tuxedo Mask didn't._

_"Now, where was I?" He rubbed his hands in a decidedly evil manner, and the planes began to move again. The Sailors began to run, but were soon stopped by Luna._

_"You must fight." Luna said reprovingly._

_"Right," Sailor Mars nodded. "I have a plan. Sailor Moon, you be the decoy. Mercury, let's go kick some Nega-butt." Sailor Moon kept running._

_"That's so typical." She muttered, "I _always_ get used as the decoy." She watched as Sailor Mercury used her Mercury Bubbles, and then Sailor Mars used one of her ghost-sign things. Jadeite froze, and the planes began to surround him. Sighing in relief, Sailor Moon stopped running and stood with the other Scouts._

_"Don't think girls are fools." Sailor Mars said. _

_"Girls aren't always just crying." Sailor Moon agreed. _

_"You got caught in your own trap. Very foolish of you." Sailor Mercury added._

_"MOON TIARA MAGIC!" Sailor Moon yelled. Jadeite dodged the attack, but in doing so, moved right into the path of one of the planes._

_"This isn't over!" He yelled as he disappeared, wounded, back to wherever he came from._

_The Sailor Scouts all hurried to the edge of the runway to look for Tuxedo Mask. _

_"You should give up." Luna said, but Sailor Moon started crying. Then Tuxedo Mask came up behind them. _

_"Why do you always help us, Tuxedo Mask?" Sailor Mercury asked. _

_"Probably because he loves me." Sailor Moon said hopefully._

_"Who are you?" Sailor Mars asked warily._

_"I can't tell you my identity now. Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, please treasure your friendship. Bye!" Tuxedo Mask said, before disappearing._

~Library, Wessington Catholic College, New York ~

Serena opened her eyes slowly, stretching and yawning. She hadn't had such a good sleep for ages, even if she _had_ spent most of the time in her dream fighting. Mind you, her legs were really sore. She placed the book _Japanese Fairy Tales, The Tale of Princess Kakyu_ back on the shelf, and wandered out of the Library, unaware of the eyes that followed her…

**_More _****Author's Notes: **Acknowledgements for fic reviewers;

**Sage: The Dark Dryad:** *wince* I'm sorry it took so long.

**Silver Moonlight-81:** Both you and Sage know just what to say to make me feel guilty. Have you been taking lessons or something? Are you plotting my death behind my back? *looks insane* I have a cheese! And a marshmallow! Stay back! I'll use them!!!


	7. Tennis who needs it?

**Title:** The Thirteenth Year

**Summary:** When All-American girl Serena Warren turns thirteen, weird things start happening. Every night she dreams of the life of a Moon Princess and as time progresses, her dreams become more and more real, so that finally, she cannot distinguish between the life she leads in her dreams and the one she is trying to live during the day.

**Author:** Silver Sparklze

**Reason for Writing:** A challenge, issued by Sage: The Dark Dryad

**Author's Notes:** Words written in bold will be translated at the end of the chapter. OMG, I am sooo sorry to have taken so long, guys. Now my exams are over, hopefully the chapters will be coming more frequently, and I hope you aren't _too_ pissed off with me. Thanks to my reviewers, but I won't name you especially, as that will take longer. You've really come through for me, even though it's been taking so long for me to write.

~Dream Sequence, Tennis Courts, Tokyo~

_"Molly!" Serena yelled, limping towards her best friend, and sitting on the grass with a sigh of relief, "Hi." She grinned at the red-haired girl, who smiled back._

_"Hey, Serena." She replied, "How are you?"_

_"Good," Serena lay back, shielding her eyes from the sun, "What are you doing?"_

_"I'm watching the tennis." Suddenly, Molly grinned, "Hey, Rui! Sis!" Serena sat up in astonishment as the tennis player Rui Sainoji waved at Molly._

_"I didn't know you had a big sister, Molly." She said._

_"I don't." Molly replied, "But Rui has been like my big sister for as long as I can remember."_

_"Oh." Serena settled back down on the grass…_

~Park Bench, New York Central Park, New York~

Serena opened her eyes with a jerk, and growled.

"Jeez, I hate this!" She cried, "Going to sleep, waking up, and being no more rested! Why can't, you just leave me alone?!" She burst into noisy tears, and the people who'd been walking along idly hurried on their way, anxious to get away from the sobbing girl.

"Look, Mummy," One little girl cried, "That big girl's crazy!"

"Don't make eye-contact, Sara." Her mother said, "If you don't make eye-contact she'll leave you alone."

"I can hear you, you know!" Serena shrieked, "I'm not bloody deaf!" The lady grabbed her daughter, and hustled her into a car, muttering something about teenage hellions. 

Serena continued crying, lost in her despair. By the time she'd finished, throat aching, eyes raw, it was dark. She blinked, and saw gleaming eyes looking at her. She shielded her own blue eyes, when a torch shined at her.

"Well, well, well, what have we here, boys?" A teenage boy asked, shining the torch insolently over her grubby white shirt, and too-short skirt. The other three boys, all tough guys, she could see, snickered inanely.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a little girl who don't know it's stupid to be in the park after dark." One of the other boys said. Serena's muscles stiffened.

"I think she needs to be taught a lesson." Added a second.

"I reckon so." Agreed the third. The leader grinned, giving Serena a long, slow look over.

"A lesson she won't forget in a hurry." He said. Serena sprang from the seat, just as two of the boys were about to grab her, and leapt over all four of them. The boys looked stunned, but only for a moment, before they ran at her again. Serena quickly punched one straight in the nose, and kneed the other one in the balls.

"Pick on someone your own size." She snapped, turning to the third and knocking him out with a roundhouse kick. She turned around just in time to move out of the way as the leader grabbed for her, and all he got was an armful of empty air. The next moment she was on the ground, the first boy having grabbed her ankle and pulled her. 

She flipped backwards, was up, and just in time to move out of the way. The boy's momentum carried him into the duck pond. Then she punched the leader in the stomach, and slammed her open palm upwards underneath his nose. There was the satisfying sound of his nose splintering, and in that moment she grabbed her bag, and ran off, heading straight for the Orphanage.

Serena burst in the door, and the seriousness of the situation she'd been in caught up with her. She collapsed in a dead faint, just as Rochelle came to yell at her…

~Dreamish Sequence, Tennis Courts, Tokyo~

_"Hit it harder." A hot instructor with long red hair…'instructed' Rui. Rui screwed up her face, and hit it as hard as she could._

_"Oh please," He scoffed, returning the serve with so much force that it almost broke the metal enclosure net. "A fly could return that serve."_

_"Who are you?" Rui asked._

_"Maxwell Stan, an interested tennis coach. You're very good, Miss, er…"_

_"Rui Sainoji." Rui said. "**Domo Arigatoo**. It's always nice to know when you can do something well." She bowed slightly._

_"**Douitashimashite.** It's nice to meet you, Rui."_

_"**Watashi mo**."_

_"I'd like to help you improve your game. You have potential." Maxwell handed Rui back her racket, which she'd dropped. "Here you are. Just think about putting more weight behind your serve. That should help." He sauntered off._

_"Wow," Molly said, "He's really cute."_

_"He's yummy, alright." Serena agreed. "I think I might start taking tennis." They spent the rest of the afternoon watching Rui beat all the guys at tennis._

_"Sorry I'm late." Serena called gaily, running into the shrine._

_"Acutally, Serena, you're right on time." Ami said, smiling._

_"Huh? But I thought the meeting started at seven. It's half past."_

_"Actually," Luna said, "We only _told_ you that the meeting started at seven, because we knew that way you'd be on time. The meeting starts now." Rei came outside with her grandfather, carrying a tray of tea._

_"Serena's here." She said, "And on time. But I don't see the demonettes skating figure eights of harmony on the frozen lava in Hell."_

_"Shut it, Rei." Serena muttered, "Or I'll use that hair of yours to strangle you."_

_"You wouldn't have the courage," Rei sneered, "You cry when you have to fight piddly little Nega-sleaze."_

_"Stop it!" Serena cried._

_"No you stop it!"_

_"You!"_

_"You!"_

_"You!"_

_"YOU!"_

_"Both of you stop it!" Ami yelled, causing both Rei and Serena to fall silent. "Thank you. Don't you realise that your childish fights are pushing us apart? We can't do this! We need each other!"_

_"Listen, girls," Luna began running up, "Main Control has told me that the enemy we're fighting is called the Nega Kingdom. You weren't far off when you started calling them Nega-sleaze."_

_"We _know_, Luna. They told__ us." Serena said disgustedly._

_"What you do not know is that they are from the Dark Side of the Moon, the Nega-Moon."_

_The girls were silent. "They're after human energy, and this thing called the Imperial Silver Crystal."_

_"Perhaps we should take up tennis to build up our strength." Serena suggested._

_"Why?" Rei asked. Ami nodded._

_"Well…there's this really cute tennis coach." Serena said finally._

_"What about Tuxedo Mask?" Rei asked slyly. Serena's face dropped._

_"Oh no! How can I have a crush on two guys?!" She cried, her eyes filling with tears._

_"Thank heavens I have Ami and Rei." Luna muttered._

_"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Serena yelped. _

_"Well if I only had you the Nega-Verse would have gotten to the Imperial Silver Crystal and all the humans would be wiped out."_

_"Isn't it some kind of mistake that Serena is a Sailor Scout anyway?" Rei asked, "I mean…_look_ at her."_

_"That is enough, you two!" Ami cried, "Serena doesn't deserve this. Leave her alone." Serena hugged Ami._

_"Thanks, Ami." She sniffed, "Wanna come play tennis with me?"_

_"Er…**Watashi no tennisu wa chotto…aru, Kuramu Gaku o ikimasu.**"_

_"Oh…ok then…" Serena sighed, and went home._

~New York Base Hospital, Casualty Ward, Room 305~

Serena opened her eyes slowly, and blinked. A shadowy figure was standing above her.

"Rei?" She asked, blinking.

"No. It's me, Rochelle."

"Oh…" Serena tried to push aside her slip. "Where am I?"

"You're in the Hospital. You fainted. What happened, Serena?" _Even her voice is like Rei's._ Serena thought.

"I…ran into some trouble at Central Park…" Serena said.

"Are you ok? Did anyone hurt you? I can't believe you'd be so irresponsible, Serena. Why can't you use your brain? Sometimes I wonder if it's permanently switched off these days…" Serena tuned out, realising that Re-_Rochelle_ **(AN: I accidentally wrote Rei at first…even _I'm _getting the two confused.) **would just continue to go on, and on, and on, and on.

"Look, I'm really tired." Serena interrupted. "G'night." She turned over and closed her eyes, suddenly really sleepy…

~Dream Sequence, Tsukino House, Serena's Room~

_"**Moshi moshi.**" Serena said into the phone._

_"Hey, Serena," It was Molly. "Can you come over?" Molly sounded a bit upset, so Serena nodded, even though Molly couldn't see._

_"Sure. I'll be right over, Molly. **Ja**."_

_"**Ja.**" Serena grabbed her coat, and raced down the stairs._

_"Where do you think you're going puss-brain?" Sammy sneered._

_"None of your business banana boy." Serena shoved her three-day-old banana (which had been lurking in the bottom of her bag) in his face and raced out the door._

_Moments later, she was at Molly's house._

_"Molly?" She called, letting herself in (yes I _know_ it's bad manners, and a long shot but they're best friends, live me alone!!)_

_"Up here." A sad voice said. Serena ran to Molly's room._

_"Are you ok?" She asked._

_"I'm ok," She sniffed "It's just…"_

_"**Nani?**"_

_"It's Rui. She played tennis for ages after you left, and she knocked down all the girls. Then, when I asked her what was wrong, she told me it had nothing to do with me, and that it was none of my business. And she broke another girl's racket! Rui's never been like this before. I'm scared, Serena." Molly began to cry._

_"Oh, don't worry, Molly, it'll be ok. We'll find out what's wrong with her, don't worry."_

_The next day Serena totally ignored Rei and Luna, only talking to Ami. Mind you, since Rei went to another school, Serena wasn't sure if Rei even _realised_ that she was ignoring her, but that couldn't be helped._

_"Hey, Molly," Serena called, waving her friend over. The redhead looked extremely depressed. "Still upset about Rui?"_

_"Of course I am!" Molly cried._

_"Don't worry, I know we can do something about it. How about if you and I go to Rui's tennis school after school this arvo? Will that make you feel better?"_

_"Ok…"_

_Serena and Molly arrived at the tennis school that afternoon. Molly looked a bit nervous, but Serena knew there was something far worse going on here. The Nega-Verse was involved, she was sure of it. And while every single bone in her body urged her to tell Rei and Luna, not to mention Ami, her mind rebelled. _

_They didn't seem to think she was capable of being a Sailor Scout, but they were wrong! Being Sailor Moon was her whole life, now, for all she complained about it non-stop. But if she defeated this Nega-Monster on her own, perhaps they would recognize it, and stop bugging her._

_"Serena, are you ok?" Molly asked._

_"Fine, just fine." Serena said, "Let's go." They went to the tennis courts, and saw Rui drilling the tennis ball against some professional tennis coaches. At once, Serena realised that the pros wanted to quit, but Rui refused to let them._

_"Stop it, Rui!" Molly yelled. Rui swung her tennis racket in Molly's and Serena's direction, and they were blown into the bushes. Suddenly, Rui changed into a Nega-Monster. Serena quickly transformed, using the bushes for cover._

_When Sailor Moon went to face the Nega-Monster, it shot a tennis ball at her. She tried to run away, but the ball hit her hard in the small of the back. A large body-sized tennis ball formed around her, making it so that she couldn't move. The Nega-Monster bounced Sailor Moon high into the air. Poor Sailor Moon was totally helpless to do anything to stop it. _

_But then a red rose shot out in front of Sailor Moon, and hit the Nega-Monster. It was Tuxedo Mask! The Nega-Monster tried to hit its tennis ball at Tuxedo Mask, but Tuxedo Mask extended his staff to hit the Nega-Monster. It fell down and the large tennis ball around Sailor Moon disappeared._

_"**Domo, **Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon called out._

_"Watch out, Sailor Moon!" Was all Tuxedo Mask said in reply, and Sailor Moon turned around to see the Nega-Monster attack her again. But just in time, Tuxedo Mask knocked her out of the way. "Use your tiara!" Tuxedo Mask said._

_"Moon tiara MAGIC!" Sailor Moon threw her tiara like a discus, and destroyed the Nega-Monster. Just then, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars arrived, along with Luna. Sailor Moon shot Luna and Sailor Mercury a triumphant smirk, then turned around to thank Tuxedo Mask…but he was gone…_

_Later that afternoon Serena sat with Molly watching Rui play tennis._

_"She doesn't remember anything." Molly remarked._

_"Well, she's ok now, so there's nothing to remember." Serena said._

_"Hey Moll, come and play!" Rui called out. Molly grinned, and ran off to play tennis. Serena smiled. It was nice to see Molly so happy._

~New York Base Hospital, Children's Ward, Room 10~

Serena grinned as she woke up, and stretched, making sure there were no stiff muscles. Then she lay back down, and the smile fell off her face. If only she knew who she was dreaming about. All she knew was their name. And that they lived in Tokyo. But none of that would help if they were only an imaginary person, as she suspected. After all, so far, the other scouts resembled two of her closest friends. 

And Tuxedo Mask…he reminded her of someone else that Dream-Serena knew…and it wasn't Andrew. It was that other guy, the one that teased her. But that was impossible! How could they be one and the same? This Tuxedo Mask seemed to care about Sailor Moon a lot, and Darien really hated Serena. 

Anyway, she really owed this Serena an apology, for thinking she was a ditzy blonde. Although she was certainly clumsy and silly and a crybaby, she really cared about her friends. And she'd always come through for them. Serena wondered if she could do the same, in similar circumstances. Serena sighed, and closed her eyes, this stuff was way too heavy for two am…

**Domo Arigatoo:** Thanks very much

**Douitashimashite:** You're welcome 

**Watashi mo:** I agree. (In this case, it's nice to meet you too.)

**Watashi no tennisu wa chotto…: **I don't really like tennis… (read, 'I hate tennis' polite form)

**aru, Kuramu Gaku o ikimasu. :** Besides, I have Cram School.

**Moshi moshi. :** Hello? (phone)

**Ja. : **See ya.

**Nani? :** What?

**Domo: **Thanks


	8. Goodbye, Nephlite, Hello, Sailor Jupiter

**Title:** The Thirteenth Year

**Summary:** When All-American girl Serena Warren turns thirteen, weird things start happening. Every night she dreams of the life of a Moon Princess and as time progresses, her dreams become more and more real, so that finally, she cannot distinguish between the life she leads in her dreams and the one she is trying to live during the day.

**Author:** Silver Sparklze

**Reason for Writing:** A challenge, issued by Sage: The Dark Dryad

**Author's Notes:** Words written in **bold** (w/o **_italics_**) will be translated at the end of the chapter. This is episode 24, and by now Serena knows that Maxwell Stan (Nephlite) is evil. Also, I've added the episode where Lita or Makoto Kino turns up. Thought it was too short otherwise. P.S MERRY Christmas!!! J

~Magickal Bean Coffee Shop/Internet Café, 132 West Street South, New York City~

Serena frowned as she logged on to the chat site. Surely there was someone on _this_ site who could help her. She hadn't found anyone else…but she really needed _someone_. Now…what to call herself? Suddenly, her eyes lit up. Perfect!

**_PrincessSerenaNYC has logged on_**

**_PrincessSerenaNYC:_**_ hi, nebody here??? o.O_

**_MilleniumFire:_**_ only me._

**_PrincessSerenaNYC:_**_ darn. oh well, perhaps u can help me._

**_MilleniumFire:_**_ i can try. wat's wrong?_

**_PrincessSerenaNYC:_**_ iv bin having weird dreams, & i decided to look in2 em. have u heard of the moon kingdom?_

**_MilleniumFire: _**_sounds like something a _**Manga-ka **_would write about._

**_PrincessSerenaNYC: _**_wat's a _**Manga-ka**_?_

**_MilleniumFire:_**_ a writer of manga. u kno, jap comics?_

**_PrincessSerenaNYC:_**_ oh ye!_

**_MilleniumFire:_**_ u kno abou jap comics?_

**_PrincessSerenaNYC:_**_ ye, i speak a bit of jap. nm, but a little._

**_MilleniumFire: _**_i'm japanese._

**_PrincessSerenaNYC:_**_ u r? wat r the odds of that? how strange. _

**_MilleniumFire: _****nande?**

**_PrincessSerenaNYC:_**_ that means wat, rite?_

**_MilleniumFire: _**_ya._

**_PrincessSerenaNYC: _**_coolies. newayz, the reson its strange is bcoz i learnt my jap from my dreams. they r really bgining 2 freak me out._

**_MilleniumFire: _**_tell me about them._

**_PrincessSerenaNYC: _**_i cant. my time on the comp is up. can i talk 2 u 2morrow? Same time, same chat room?_

**_MilleniumFire: _**_sure, tty 2morrow._

**_PrincessSerenaNYC has logged off._**

Serena leaned back in satisfaction, a small smile making its way across her tired, thin face. Her dreams had been getting more action packed lately, with the Scouts defeating more and more of Nephlite's monsters. But despite the fact that she got plenty of sleep, her dreams insured she got no rest. 

As a result, she was even more exhausted when she woke up. And she'd started losing weight, not only because of the dreams, but because Dream-Serena ate so much, and she just wasn't hungry when she got up.

"Would you like a cup of coffee, dear?" Serena looked up and smiled at the slightly overweight middle-aged waitress.

"Yes please, and one of your chocolate chip cookies, please." She replied. For the first time in ages she felt a little hungry. 

She felt a bit uncomfortable, sitting in this café full of yuppies and people dressed in suits – there was another internet café just a block or two away for the teens – but the only clothes that still fit her were her oldest, most faded jeans, and an equally old, shapeless and almost transparent white top which was supposed to be fitted, but hung on her body like a dress. She had a belt around her waist to keep the jeans from falling down, and she'd had to make three more notches in the last two weeks simply to make sure that her clothes stayed on. The waitress smiled at her kindly.

"Have you been ill, dear?" She asked, rather curiously, but Serena could tell she was sincere, and not just a gossip monger.

"Something like that." She said quite truthfully. The waitress looked at her tenderly.

"If you like…you could drink your coffee in the back room…" She said hesitantly. "There's a couch there…and you might feel a bit more comfortable."

"Thank you." Serena said quietly, "That would be wonderful." The waitress led her into the back, and Serena sat down on the couch, leant back, and closed her eyes. She'd just rest them…just for a little.

~Dream Sequence, Tokyo Park, A bench…~

_Serena rubbed Molly's back comfortingly, listening to her woes patiently._

_"You should forget about Maxwell Stan." She told Molly firmly._

_"I can't. No matter how bad he is. Serena, is there someone you like?"_

_"Yes," Serena said, "There is."_

_"Then you must know how I feel." Was all Molly said, before walking off.___

_That night, Serena was awoken by a tearful Molly._

_"Molly?" Serena asked, struggling to wake up, "What's wrong?"_

_"Maxwell Stan came to see me," Molly hiccuped, "A-a-and he asked me who Sailor Moon is." Serena felt a lurch in her stomach. "I t-told him I didn't know. A-and he doesn't love me anymore!" She began to wail again, and, no matter how hard Serena tried, she couldn't calm her down. Finally, Molly stopped crying. "_**Sumimasen**_ Serena," She said, "I feel better now. 'Bye." She hung up. Serena stared at the phone for a moment, shrugged, and went to tell Luna._

_Serena and Luna ran to Molly's house. Serena had told Luna about their late-night conversation, prompted by a feeling of unease. But she wasn't running as fast as Luna would have liked, so Luna ran on ahead. Suddenly, the world around her began to distort, and she transformed, fearing the worst._

_"You really are a stupid girl." Nephlite laughed, appearing in front of her. "Now I know your identity."_

_"Please don't tell anyone." Sailor Moon begged._

_"It won't matter, either way," Nephrite replied, unmoved, "Because I'm going to kill you." Sailor Moon dodged his attacks desperately, almost shrieking in fear when she saw the huge hole he'd blown in the ground next to her. Suddenly, a red rose flew in front of Sailor Moon, and a golden glow surrounded her._

_"Pick on someone your own size." Tuxedo Mask said. "And leave Sailor Moon alone. However, I would be glad to take you on." But Nephlite suddenly paled._

_"Molly." He murmured. He turned to Sailor Moon. "__Sailor Moon, I know who you are. I can attack you any time. You better be waiting."__ He disappeared._

_"Oh no!" Sailor Moon wailed, "What am I going to do?!"_

_"Don't worry, Sailor Moon." Tuxedo Mask said, "It doesn't matter that he found out about your identity." He disappeared as well._

_"We have to get to the park!" Sailor Moon yelled into her communicator a while later, after she'd reached Molly's house and seen that she was not there. "Molly could be in trouble!" Mercury nodded from the other end._

_"I agree, Sailor Moon." She said quietly, "We'll meet you there." Just moments later they were all at the park. Molly was kneeling by a tree, and her pyjamas were ripped. A figure lay next to her, his head in her lap. A ton of Nega-Monsters hovered around._

_"Run, Molly!" Nephlite yelled._

_"No!" Molly said, her eyes full of tears, "I won't leave you!"_

_"MERCURY BUBBLES!" Sailor Mercury yelled, and Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars quickly followed with their own attacks. The Nega-Monsters were soon no more, but Nephlite was gasping for breath now, and his face was the colour of milk._

_"I'm sorry, Molly." He said, "I'm never going to get to eat that chocolate parfait with you. I lied right up to the end. Please forgive me. I'm glad I met you." He disappeared, leaving Molly with an armful of air and her torn pyjama bandage._

_"No! Maxwell!" Molly howled, collapsing. Even Sailor Mars was in tears…_

~The Back Room, Magickal Bean Coffee Shop/Internet Café, 132 West Street South, New York City ~

"Dear, dear, dear." Someone put their hand on Serena's shoulder, and Serena awoke with a jerk. She took one look around her, and began to cry. Poor Molly. She couldn't help but wail her heart out. "Oh, you poor thing." She felt herself gathered into motherly arms, and rocked gently. "Shh, honey, it's ok, it's all going to be ok."

"I can't help it." Serena choked, "He shouldn't have died."

"Oh, you poor thing. You lost someone close?" The motherly waitress asked.

"No. I didn't really like him all that much." Serena admitted, "But a…friend of mine loved him. I mean; she loved him enough to risk dying for him. And he died anyway, even after all her efforts. And…I was just dreaming about the day he died…I was there…and…and…" She dissolved into tears again, leaning her head against the woman who smelled of coffee and chocolate.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" The lady asked.

"Serena Warren." Serena sniffed.

"Oh, what a pretty name." The lady said approvingly. "My name's Marnie Watson. Would you like your cookie now, Rini?"

"What did you call me?" Serena asked, her head jerking up. For some reason that name struck a chord in her.

"Rini." Marnie looked startled. "You remind me of my little granddaughter. Her name's Selena. She's a darling little thing. We call her Rini. And you even look something like her. Same blonde hair – although her's is paler – bright blue eyes, pale skin. Even the same way of walking, although your hips swing slightly. But she's not so skinny." Marnie looked at Serena's waif-like body critically.

"I haven't felt like eating." Serena admitted.

"Well you appear to be over that." Marnie said, looking pleased, and it was then that Serena noticed she'd polished off the coffee and the cookie. "Would you like another one?"

"Er…I…uh…I don't have the money." She muttered, embarrassed.

"Oh, honey, don't worry about that. On the house." Marnie patted her hand and left the room. Serena sighed and leant back again…

~Dream Sequence, Serena's Bedroom, Tsukino House, Tokyo~

_BRING!!!_ _Serena jerked awake, and looked at her alarm._

_"_**CHIKUSO! HUSO!**_" She yelped, jumping out of bed, and yanking on her clothes. She ran down the stairs and grabbed her lunch, not bothering with breakfast, she didn't have time. She raced out the door, and kept running. She'd have to hurt if she was going to get to school on time. She ran around the corner, and…_

_BANG!!! She hit the ground with an almighty 'thud' after slamming straight into someone._

_"Ow!" Yelped a guy. He and the two friends that were with him glared at Serena. The guy on the floor was clutching his leg. "You broke my leg!" He yelled. The other two guys advanced on her._

_"You leave her alone!" A husky female voice yelled, and a tall, pretty brunette with green eyes and beautiful red rose earrings pushed the boys back. "_**Yarou meiwaku!**_" She turned to Serena and smiled. "_**Mamotte ageru, hime.**_" She kicked the two guys and brought her heel down on the third's hand, since he still lay on the ground complaining. "_**Ja ne.**_" She saluted Serena cheekily, and jogged off. Serena did the same, after swearing when she saw what time it was._

_At lunch that day, Serena saw the girl who had rescued her sitting by herself. Everyone seemed to be giving her a wide birth._

_"Hey, Melvin," She said, "Who's that?"_

_"That is Lita Kino. She's big trouble, Serena, stay away from her. I heard that she was thrown out of her last school for fighting." Melvin warned in his nasally voice._

Well she can't be all bad._ Serena thought to herself, _after all, she saved me from those guys._ So Serena snuck up behind Lita and hid in the bushes. Lita's lunch looked very good to Serena, who was really hungry since she hadn't had breakfast. Just then, Lita spotted her. She smiled at Serena._

_"Hey," She said, "You're the girl I saw earlier. Want to come and sit with me?" Serena nodded and sat down beside her. "Have some _**onigiri**_." Serena accepted one of the rice balls, and at it quickly._

_"Yum," She said, "Your mum's a good cook." Lita laughed. _

_"_**Domo**_." She replied, "But I made them myself. _**Ryori no daisuki da.**_"_

_"_**Watashi mo.**_" Serena said, "_**Eto…iikunai da.**_ I'm better at eating." Lita laughed again._

_"You're funny." She said, "And really honest. You're the first person who's spoken to me…how come?" Serena shifted uncomfortably._

_"I think everyone else is afraid of you." She said finally, "Because you were kicked out of your last school for fighting."_

_"Oh…well…that makes sense." Lita shrugged. "So…my name's Lita Kino. What's yours?"_

_That afternoon, Lita and Serena went to The Arcade. Serena was grinning as she walked in, but her face fell when she saw that Andrew wasn't there._

_"Darn." She said sadly, "Andrew isn't here."_

_"Is Andrew your brother?" Lita asked. Serena laughed._

_"No." She said, "Andrew's the manager of the arcade. He's really nice."_

_"Oh…it's like _that_." Lita said mischievously. "Hey," She said, her eyes alighting on the Sailor V game, "Is that what I think it is?!"_

_"Yup." Serena said proudly._

_"Wicked." Lita went over and began to play. A few moments later, Ami and Rei arrived. Luna was with them, and Serena saw her look at Lita strangely._

_"Hey, Serena," Ami said, smiling._

_"Hi. Lita, this is Ami – the genius, and Rei – the brat."_

_"Hey! I am not a brat! Stupid _**tako**_!"_

_"Hey!" Serena yelped, "I am not! _**I****keike**_!"_

_"_**Odango Atama**_!"_

_"_**Baka Rashaku**_!"_

_"Enough!" Ami said finally. "I wish you two would stop this once and for all!"_

_"Hey, who's that?" Lita asked, pointing to a guy wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, who was fiddling around with the controls on one of those stuffed-animal chance machines._

_"That's Game Machine Joe." A passing teenager answered, "He's often hanging around. He wins all the stuffed toys and gives them to charity."_

_"He looks like my old boyfriend." Lita said breathlessly. Just then, Joe left, carrying the bag of stuffed animals. Lita followed him out, and Luna jumped onto Serena's shoulder._

_"Follow her," Luna commanded, "There's something strange about her."_

~ The Back Room, Magickal Bean Coffee Shop/Internet Café, 132 West Street South, New York City ~

"Serena, wake up, dear. You fell asleep again." Serena opened her eyes and smiled at Marnie tiredly.

"Sorry," She said, "I haven't been sleeping too well."

"I know, dear." Marnie handed her the coffee and a muffin. "Just drink your coffee, eat your muffin, and then head home. You need some rest. The circles under your eyes are absurd." 

So Serena crammed the muffin into her mouth, trying not to think about it, and drank the scalding hot coffee as quickly as possible. She wasn't really hungry anymore, she just wanted to sleep, and after Dream-Serena had eaten so much earlier, she didn't feel like eating. But she ate the food anyway, since she'd asked for it. Then she gave Marnie a hug, picked up her bag, and left, promising to see Marnie the next day.

~Dream Sequence, A street…Tokyo~

_Serena followed Lita and Game Machine Joe down the street, watching Lita's every move carefully. Suddenly, a pretty **woman with long blonde hair appeared in a shower of rose petals, a tinkling laugh sounding. She took out a black crystal, and pointed it at Joe. Joe began to shriek in pain, his body bending backwards. But Lita jumped out and threw herself in front of him. She grabbed one of her rose earrings, and threw it at the lady._

_"Leave Joe alone!" She yelled in her husky voice, glaring at the woman in triumph as the earring grazed her cheek, causing a thin red line to appear._

_"My face!" The woman cried, "What did you do to my beautiful face?!" She glared at Lita. "I'll get you for that, girl." She snarled, before vanishing. Serena and Lita both hurried over to Joe, who picked himself up and glared at Lita._

_"I didn't _need_ your help." He snapped, brushing himself down then stalking off. Lita followed him, calling out for him to wait._

_"Follow them," Luna commanded, "I felt something evil. Something that could only be that Nega-Verse."_

_Serena followed Lita to a coffee shop. She was sitting outside, staring at Joe._

_"Why are you out here?" Serena asked._

_"Joe won't let me in." Lita replied, "But I'm not going to let him get hurt. It's not fair."_

_"I'll wait with you." Serena proposed, sitting down beside her. "Why do you feel so strongly about protecting Joe? And, for that matter, why did you protect me earlier today?" Serena asked._

_"Well…" Lita shifted slightly. "It's always been like that. Whenever I've seen someone getting picked on, or locked in an unfair fight, I've always jumped to their aid. It's instinctive. I don't even know why I do it, the reactions I get are usually the same, or worse, than Joe's." Lita smiled sadly. "Only two people have ever thanked me. You…and one of my closest friends."_

_"What's her name?" Serena pressed._

_"His name is Ken." Just then, Joe stuck his head out the door._

_"Fine, you can come inside." He said to Lita irritably. "Just quit staring at me. Jeez." Lita shot Serena a commiserating look, and walked in. Serena moved closer so that she could see what they were saying…perhaps she could read their lips…it was worth a shot. _

_She watched, as Joe and Lita talked incessantly, Lita looking shocked and disbelieving, while Joe just looked like she was in pain. At one stage, a hurt look flashed across Lita's face, but it was soon replaced by shock again. Serena blinked, and rubbed her eyes, as Joe caused an ashtray to rise off the table._

_Then, Serena frowned. That waitress…she looked familiar…Suddenly, the waitress threw off her uniform, and laughed. Serena could hear it through the door, as someone had just opened it. She stiffened. She knew that laugh! It was the lady from earlier! The lady blasted Lita with some kind of energy-thing. Joe immediately got up and bolted. Serena stopped him at the door._

_"Are you going to leave Lita and run away?! You aren't a man at all! You're a coward!"_

_"Hey, pigtails, she ain't my type. Too tall." Joe snapped, before pushing past her and running on. Serena hurried over to Lita._

_"Are you ok?" She asked, helping Lita up._

_"Fine." Lita replied, watching Joe leave. "He said the same thing to me…" She said sadly._

_"I've gotta go." Serena said reluctantly, "See you later, Lita." Serena ran off in the direction of the park, transforming as she went._

_Finally, Sailor Moon got to the park. What she saw shocked her terribly. A strange jewel was hovering in front of Joe, and he looked like he was in terrible pain._

_"Leave Joe alone!" Sailor Moon cried._

_"Huh?" Zoisite looked shocked when she turned around and say Sailor Moon._

_"I am Sailor Moon!" Sailor Moon yelled, "Champion of Love and Justice. In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!"_

_"Well, miss smarty, I am Zoisite, of the Nega-Verse." Zoisite was practically dancing. "And now, I'm going to leave you and Joe alone, to…'chat'. Ta, ta." She laughed, and disappeared. Sailor Moon turned back around and saw Joe…or…rather…a Nega-Monster! She bolted._

_ "You aren't going to escape me _that_ easily, Sailor Moon!" The Nega-Monster laughed in a growly voice. He reached for Sailor Moon_

_"Leave her alone!" A familiar husky voice yelled. Sailor Moon groaned when she saw Lita._

_"Lita, run away!" She shouted, "You can't take _him_ on!!" But Lita wasn't listening. She grabbed the Nega-Monster, and threw him over her head. Sailor Moon frowned when she saw the strange green glowing mark on Lita's head. It reminded her of Ami's and Rei's. Suddenly, the Nega-Monster grabbed Sailor Moon with one of his extending arms. Sailor Moon yelped and struggled. _

_She watched, slightly detached, as Luna appeared on the scene. She seemed to be thinking. All of a sudden Luna mrowled, and a new _**henshin**_appeared in front of her. She took it over to Lita._

_"You are Sailor Jupiter." She said in her no-nonsense voice. Lita looked rather shocked, but didn't say anything. "Here," Luna handed the stick to Lita. "Hold this up and say _Jupiter Power!_" Numbly, Lita did as she was told._

_"JUPITER POWER!" She yelled. Strangely enough, it worked, and she transformed into Sailor Jupiter. She had a green skirt, green ankle boots, a green neck ribbon, and a pretty pink bow._

_The Nega-Monster tried to attack Sailor Jupiter, loosing interest in Sailor Moon immediately. But Sailor Jupiter wasn't such an agile, strong girl for nothing. She easily avoided him. Then, a strange stick came out of the top of her tiara (which had an emerald in it), and Sailor Jupiter got a fierce look in her eyes._

_"JUPITER THUNDER CRASH!" She bellowed. The Nega-Monster was thrown backwards. She was about to do it again when Luna stopped her. This whole time she'd been watching, trying to coax Sailor Moon into joining the fight._

_"He's still human inside." She said gently. Then she turned to Sailor Moon. "Here," She added, "Take this." She handed Sailor Moon a beautiful wand with a pink handle and a gold crescent moon on the end._

_"What is it?" Sailor Moon asked, handling it gently, and gazing at it in awe._

_"This is the Crescent Moon Wand. All you need to do is say Moon Healing Activation, and it will heal poor Joe." Sailor Moon held it out, and did what Luna told her._

_"Moon Healing Activation!" A strange gold light surrounded the Nega-Monster, and a humanoid shadow appeared. The light disappeared, and there was Joe, lying on the ground._

_"The fourth Sailor Scout has been found." Luna announced. "Sailor Moon, you must be the leader, to protect the princess."_

_The next day Lita was playing the Sailor V game with Serena. The Andrew came out._

_"Hey, Serena," He said._

_"Hi, Andrew," Serena replied, grinning. "Andrew, this is Lita, Lita, Andrew."_

_"Hey, Lita. Nice to meet you." Andrew smiled. "Well, I'd better be going. A man's work is never done." He walked away, and Lita sighed._

_"He sounds like my old boyfriend." She said breathily._

_"What happened to Joe?" Serena asked, alarmed that someone was moving in on 'her' guy._

_"He's old news." Lita replied with a shrug. Serena groaned._

**Manga_-_ka:** manga writer

**Nande: **what (nani is surprised what, this is 'huh?' what)

**Sumimasen:** Sorry, or, in this instance, thanks.

**Chikuso: **Damn

**Huso: **well…quite plainly…fuck.

**Yarou meiwaku: **pesky bastards (…well…that's as close as I'm going to say…)

**Mamotte ageru hime:** I'll protect you, princess. (She's only saying that to be kind, she doesn't _know_ that Serena's the princess…just so you know.)

**Onigiri: **a type of rice ball

**Domo: **thanks

**Ryori no daisuki da: **I love cooking.

**Watashi mo: **me too.

**Eto…iikunai da:** but…I'm not very good.

**Tako: **brat

**I****keike:** bitch

**Odango Atama: **Meatball head (actually, it's dumpling head, but ce'est la vie)

**Baka Rashaku: **Well…baka means stupid…and rashaku…uh..actually, that's a word I made up. It means something along the lines of…!!*&@^#^%@#.

**Henshin: **transforming wand.

**Oh, and btw, nm means not much. And btw means by the way. Just in case anyone didn't know.**

****Did you know: in the Japanese series, Zoisite is a boy. He and Malachite still have a 'thing' for each other, so nothing's changed there. But in the American dubbed version they changed Zoisite to a girl, to make it more accepted. Sailor Stars was never dubbed, and so Haruka Tenou (Amara – Sailor Uranus) and Michiru Kaiou (Michelle – Sailor Neptune) stay female, and lovers. Although, Haruka _does_ look like a boy **J

**Another Author's Note: **Hey ya'll! Merry Christmas! I hope to get this out today, but it mightn't be out until Boxing Day, as my mum is talking to her English rellies. Anyways, I made this an extra long chapter, especially as a Chrissy Present to all my wicked reviewers. You guys rock!!

Love, Ash

**_Another_ Author's Note: **Thanks to these reviewers;

**Shimmering Angel:** Actually, Serena Warren isn't Sailor Moon as such. You see; Serena Tsukino (or Usagi) is still Sailor Moon in Tokyo. The thing is, Serena Warren shares a piece of Princess Serenity's soul. When Queen Selenity sent the soul to Earth, it broke in half, and was born inside two different people. Eventually, Serena Tsukino and Serena Warren meet, (sequel) and just wait and see what happens then! J Thanks for reviewing.

**Silver Moonlight-81:** Thanks, SM-81. Oh, and btw, no, I'm not mad at you. Don't worry. J

**Sage: The Dark Dryad:** Hey, Sage, thanks. Uh…when will you tell me what you think of last chapter? Coz you haven't…oh well, here's the newest one.

****


	9. V chan

**Title:** The Thirteenth Year

**Summary:** When All-American girl Serena Warren turns thirteen, weird things start happening. Every night she dreams of the life of a Moon Princess and as time progresses, her dreams become more and more real, so that finally, she cannot distinguish between the life she leads in her dreams and the one she is trying to live during the day.

**Author:** Silver Sparklze

**Reason for Writing:** A challenge, issued by Sage: The Dark Dryad

**Author's Notes:** Words written in **bold** (w/o **_italics_**) will be translated at the end of the chapter. 

~ Magickal Bean Coffee Shop/Internet Café, 132 West Street South, New York City ~

**_PrincessSerenaNYC has logged on_**

**_PrincessSerenaNYC:_**_ hey, MilleniumFire_

**_MilleniumFire: _**_present, lol_

**_PrincessSerenaNYC:_**_ nice 2 c u again_

**_MilleniumFire: _**_u 2. r u ok_

**_PrincessSerenaNYC: _**_fine, y_

**_MilleniumFire: _**_u seemed upset yesterday_

**_PrincessSerenaNYC: _**_i was. but i'm fine now_

**_MilleniumFire: _**_good. just a sec, brb_

**_PrincessSerenaNYC: _**_kkz_

**_MilleniumFire:_**_ sorry, a friend was @ the door. needed 2 talk 2 me_

**_PrincessSerenaNYC: _**_that's k. can i ask u somthin _

**_MilleniumFire: _**_sure_

**_PrincessSerenaNYC: _**_if som1 told u they were havin dreams about another country, and that they were som1 else in these dreams, and that it was like somthin out of a manga, wat would u say?_

**_MilleniumFire: _**_dunno, would depend. gah, must go, my friend Ami needs me. _**ja**_?_

**_PrincessSerenaNYC: _**_sure…cya._

**_MilleniumFire has logged off_**

**_PrincessSerenaNYC has logged off_**

Serena leant back, the computer going satisfyingly blank. She grinned happily, thinking about the conversation. Although MilleniumFire hadn't been particularly helpful since she'd needed to go off and talk to her friend Ami…Serena's eyes widened as she thought quickly. MilleniumFire…what an odd sign-in name. Could it perhaps mean more than it appeared to???

~Dream Sequence, Shopping Mall, Tokyo~

_Serena walked along the side of the mall with Lita, munching on a crepe. They were giggling about the rubber tires they'd seen a couple of mannequins wearing in a rather hip shop, when they heard a cry of fear. They both looked up, and saw that a pair of window washers who, (surprise, surprise), had been washing windows, were in trouble, because the ropes on their scaffolding had been cut. Suddenly, a strange girl wearing an outfit much like Sailor Moon's, but with a purple skirt, tiara stone, neck ribbon, and boots, saved him. Serena began to cry. She couldn't believe that someone would be so mean!_

_"We should contact Luna and the others." Lita said practically. Serena nodded, still blubbing. While they were telling Ami and Rei, the faux Sailor Moon escaped. At the back of her mind Serena catalogued the blonde girl around her age who was staring at her strangely, as if she couldn't believe Serena existed, but she was too caught up in her own sorrow to really pay any attention._

_Later that day, all four of the Sailor Scouts gathered at the dock._

_"I saw the news about Sailor Moon helping those guys, and fighting off those bank robbers. I knew it couldn't be the real thing." Rei said tactlessly._

_"I wish the real Sailor Moon was that good." Lita sighed. Serena's lower lip trembled. She'd thought Lita was her friend._

_"We need to find out what this impostor is up to." Ami said, "We don't know if she's friend or foe."_

_"How can she use my name?!" Serena cried, "It's not fair!" Suddenly, the girls heard someone scream. They ran down an alley, and saw the fake Sailor Moon hanging by her hands, seemingly unconscious, and Malachite just above her._

_"We've got to save her!" Serena exclaimed._

_"We can't," Ami said, "It might be a trap."_

_"I hate seeing Sailor Moon like this," Sailor Moon said anxiously, "Whether it's me or not is irrelevant." She took out her brooch, face determined. "MOON PRISM POWER!" Sighing, the other girls followed her lead._

_"MERCURY POWER!"_

_"MARS POWER!"_

_"JUPITER POWER!" After they'd transformed, they hurried down the alley. Malachite still hadn't seen them, as he spoke to the faux Sailor Moon._

_"What a waste of light," He said, gazing out at Tokyo, "I want to see the darkness."_

_"Not a chance!" Sailor Moon cried. "I am Sailor Moon, champion of love and justice! In the name of the Moon,"_

_"And Mercury," Sailor Mercury added,_

_"And Mars,"_

_"And Jupiter,"_

_"We will punish you!"_

_"It's a bad habit, tying up girls like that." Malachite laughed._

_"So, you came," He said, "Just as I knew you would." He threw out his hand, and a large black dome suddenly surrounded the Scouts._

_"Mars Fire Ignite!" Sailor Mars yelled, but the fire just burnt the Scout's feet, and was absorbed by the dome._

_"Is _that_ the strength of the might Sailor Scouts?!" Malachite laughed. He made the dome smaller and smaller, trapping the Scouts closer together._

_"Jupiter Thunder!" Sailor Jupiter tried. Sailor Moon yelped as some of the thunder zapped her hand before being absorbed by the barrier._

_"Sailor Jupiter, stop it!" She cried, "You're going to electrocute us! And I think you're making the barrier stronger!"_

_"Sailor Moon's right, Sailor Jupiter." Sailor Mercury said, "You _are_ making the barrier stronger."_

_"Sailor Moon's right? Now _there's _a surprise." Sailor Mars muttered._

_"It's impossible for you to break the barrier, Sailor Scouts." Malachite crowed, unaware of the Scout's conversation. That was when they saw Zoisite. She went straight over to Malachite, and they had a whispered conversation. None of the Scouts could breathe very well anymore, and Sailor Moon was beginning to feel faint._

_"Look at them, Tuxedo Mask" Zoisite said, laughing. "Don't they look pathetic? If you want to save them, come out now, and bring your three Rainbow Crystals with you."_

_"Don't do it, Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon yelled, using the last of her breath. But Tuxedo Mask came anyway. Zoisite giggled._

_"There's no hope for you, just give up now." She said._

_"No matter how hard it is; you should never give up." A girl said. Sailor Moon gasped. It was Sailor V! Then she took off her mask. "Crescent Beam Smash!" A burst of gold light hit Malachite and Zoisite, and the dome around the Sailor Scouts vanished._

_"Who are you?!" Zoisite cried._

_"I am Sailor Venus, champion of love and justice. I right wrongs and triumph over evil and that means you!" Sailor Venus said, glaring at Zoisite and Malachite._

_"Sailor V, you're Sailor V, right?" Sailor Moon asked, getting up on shaky legs. A white cat that looked rather like Luna walked out from behind her._

_"Sailor V is Sailor Venus." He said._

_"Artemis!" Luna greeted, "It's been a while."_

_"It most definitely has, Luna." Artemis replied. _

_"Enough chit chat!" Zoisite cried. She turned to Malachite. "Go, Malachite. I'll fight them." But then, Queen Beryl appeared in the sky._

_"Enough!" She said, "Retreat!" Both Malachite and Zoisite disappeared. Sailor Moon looked around for Tuxedo Mask, but he was gone._

_Later, Artemis said,_

_"The five Sailor Scouts have found one another, and the two cats have gathered. Everything is ready. Now all we have to do is wait." This reminded Sailor Moon of the princess. She turned to Sailor Venus._

_"Are you the princess?" She asked. Sailor Venus just smiled._

~Sick Bay, Wessington Catholic College, New York ~

Slowly, Serena woke up. She frowned. Matty…and Sailor Venus…they were so similar…

**Ja:** see you later.

**More Author's Notes: Thanks to these reviewers;**

**Yotaro88rocker:** Thanks ^-^ will do.

**Shimmering Angel:** Yeah…let's hope that what little's left of Serena's brains after all the sleep deprivation tells her to change the name of the characters!

**Silver Moonlight-81:** *waves* Hi! I see you! ^-^

**Sage: The Dark Dryad:** Here's more. Still haven't reviewed chapter 8, tho. *sniff sniff, I feel so unloved!*

****Did you know? In the manga, there is evidence that ****Zoisite****, Kunzite (Malachite), Nephrite (Nephlite), and Jadeite are lovers of the Inner Senshi (Sailor Moon not included), and there are even drawings of the Senshi being held romantically by the four! (Of course this was before Beryl brainwashed them, while they were still Mamoru's [Darien's] bodyguards.)******


	10. Tsukinohime toujou!

**Title:** The Thirteenth Year

**Summary:** When All-American girl Serena Warren turns thirteen, weird things start happening. Every night she dreams of the life of a Moon Princess and as time progresses, her dreams become more and more real, so that finally, she cannot distinguish between the life she leads in her dreams and the one she is trying to live during the day.

**Author:** Silver Sparklze

**Reason for Writing:** A challenge, issued by Sage: The Dark Dryad

**Author's Notes:** Words written in **bold** (w/o **_italics_**) will be translated at the end of the chapter. 

~New York Community College, Myths, Legends, And The Occult Room, New York City~

Serena paged through _Explaining Dreams By Melinda Imperal, _wondering if it might hold any useful information. Suddenly, her eyes caught on something. She turned the page back, and read, heart in her throat.

_Sometimes, dreams are more than just images sent up by our subconscious. There have been cases where dreams have actually been a doorway into another person's life. Researchers suspect that in these cases, the dreamer and the dreamee share a close bond, family, lovers, or, sometimes, souls. There was a case in 1989 where a young girl began having dreams about a boy, seeing his life through his eyes. Finally, they met, and, according to them, realised they were 'soul mates'. _

_But you don't have to be soul mates with another person to share their dreams. It is possible that, just maybe, someone could share a soul with another…and then…who knows? One thing is for certain, sharers of souls could never meet…lest the most terrible thing in the world happen, and the two halves of the soul join…leaving one person without a soul…forever._

Serena bit her lip. This wasn't good. If she was truly seeing someone else's life, she was in big trouble. What if they met? Then either she or the other Serena could be left without a soul! _Screw this,_ she thought angrily; _I'm going to have a coffee._ With that thought in mind, she stormed out of the College, and headed down the road to the Magickal Bean.

Serena entered the coffee/internet café and stalked towards her usual table, glaring sightlessly at the computer screen. She placed $2 **((Approximately $5 Australian or £2.50.))** into the slot, and logged on.

**_PrincessSerenaNYC has logged on_**

**_MilleniumFire: _**_konnichi wa, Serena-chan._

**_PrincessSerenaNYC: _**_hey, Rei. *giggles* that rhymes._

**_MilleniumFire: _**_ur right, it does. how r u?_

**_PrincessSerenaNYC: _**_good, u?_

**_MilleniumFire: _**_i'm fine. had nemore of those strange dreams?_

**_PrincessSerenaNYC: _**_yes._

**_MilleniumFire: _****nande**__

**_PrincessSerenaNYC: _**_i dremt about this girl, Sailor Venus, meeting the rest of the Sailor Scouts._

**_MilleniumFire has logged off._**

Serena frowned, confused. What had happened? Why had Rei suddenly logged off after she'd told her about the dream? The thoughts that she'd previously dismissed as ridiculous came flying back to taunt her. Perhaps…no…it wasn't possible. Life wouldn't be so cruel!

Wait…what was she saying. Of course it would be. There were two Rochelle's!!!!

~Dream Sequence, The Battle Scene (some dark alleyish thing), Tokyo~

_"Are you _sure_ you're not the Princess?" Sailor Moon persisted._

_"Yes," Sailor Venus said patiently. "I'm just a Sailor Scout like you, here to protect the Princess." Serena grinned, extremely happy that her idol, Sailor V, was a Sailor Scout. Everyone shook hands, and the usual 'nice to meet you' was said._

_"Sailor Venus and I are trying to track down a lead, so we'll have a meeting wherever it is you usually do-"_

_"The Hikawa Shrine." Sailor Mars interrupted, rattling off directions,_

_"Tomorrow, say around five?"_

_"Sure." They all nodded._

_The next day, Serena was made to stay after school because of her bad work. She decided to run to the meeting, because she didn't want to be yelled at. Just then, she spotted Darien walking down the street. She hurried over and slapped him on the back._

_"Hey, Darien!" She chirped._

_"Hey, Meatball Head." He replied, smiling slightly._

_"My name's Serena. Call me Serena!" Serena said. Darien shook his head and walked away, turning back momentarily._

_"Ok, Serena." Serena bit her lip. That wasn't the same Darien she always fought with. She felt a strange wetness on her hand, and looked at it. _Blood?_ She thought incredulously, her eyes widening. _Oh no! Darien's hurt!_ She ran after him. She finally caught up with him when he stopped to rest in an alley. _Boy,_ she thought, _even when he's injured he's fast._ It was then that Darien seemed to notice she was there.  He turned around, and only just stopped himself from hitting her. Serena cried out in fright._

_"Jeez, Serena!" Darien said, running a hand through his hair, "Quit following me, alright?"_

_"I'm worried about you, Darien." Serena said honestly. She saw something in his eyes then, but it quickly disappeared. "Your injury won't heal unless you rest at home." Serena persisted. Darien's face hardened._

_"Go home." He said firmly, and kept walking. _

_"I won't, you know, I won't!" She yelled after him, knowing that he thought the exact opposite, that she _would_ leave him alone. After all, they certainly weren't friends. Nevertheless, Serena followed him. He seemed to be heading towards the Starlight Tower. Suddenly, a red force field surrounded them. "Darien, what's happening?" Serena whimpered, looking around. Darien sighed, only just realising that she was still there. They were carried to the Tower, where Zoisite stood, waiting. Serena fell and all went black…_

~Galaxy Dorm, Planet Orphanage, New York~

Serena's eyes snapped open, and she breathed out a sigh of relief. She was safe. She was safe. She was sa…she was asleep.

~Dream Sequence, Starlight Tower, Tokyo~

_"You tricked me!" Serena heard as she awoke. She opened her eyes just in time to see Zoisite vanish. _

_"Meet me on the top floor." Zoisite's voice said._

_"_**Huso.**_" Darien muttered._

_"D-Darien, what's going on?" Serena stuttered as the roof began to collapse._

_"I don't know, run!" He said, grabbing her hand and dragging her toward the elevator. Serena yelped and jumped out of the way as a large hunk of plaster slammed down where she once was._

_"Omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod." She muttered under her breath, moving slightly as the floor crumbled away. Darien jerked her into the elevator, which immediately began to carry them towards the top floor._

_"So…" Serena said once they were inside the elevator, "Why do you want the Rainbow Crystals?" Darien cast her an amused look._

_"Why is that any of your business?" He asked._

_"Just making conversation." Serena lied, shrugging._

_"Well…I _need_ the Rainbow Crystals because they make up the Imperium Silver Crystal. When I was six, my parents died in a car crash. I was injured badly, and I lost my memory. I still don't know who I really am. But I have this recurring dream. A princess with long blond hair asks me for the Imperium Silver Crystal, and says that it will bring my memory back."_

_"You poor thing. You know…I used to hate you more than anyone else in the world. But now I'm going to bump you down a bit…you're not an enemy any longer…you're a…a…friend." Darien smiled wryly._

_"Gee, thanks." He said. For a moment, Serena thought he was Tuxedo Mask, but…_No…he couldn't be…could he?!

_Just then, there was a crackling sound, and Serena saw a giant fireball hurtling down._

_"OMIGOD!" She screeched, causing Darien to wince._

_"Ow, geez, Serena," He complained, "What's wrong?"_

_"L-look up." She stuttered. Darien's face paled as he did just that._

_"_**Hirekin.**_" He cursed. Meanwhile, Serena was having an internal debate._

I can't transform_, she thought, _then Darien will know who I am. And look what happens every time people find out who I am. They try to kill me. But…if I don't transform I'm going to die anyway…what to do? If I _do _transform, I'll probably die. If I _don't,_ not only will I die, Darien will too! Well, that's decided it.

_"MOON PRISM POWER!"_ _She yelled, holding up her transformation brooch. She blushed, glad for the protection of the strange mist that always surrounded her when she transformed, since she was naked for five minutes while her costume appeared._

_Then, the elevator exploded._

~Galaxy Dorm, Planet Orphanage, New York~

"Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!" Serena screamed, sitting up in bed, and holding her arm. She removed her fingers, and gasped. There were three or four blisters on her arm, and they hurt like hell.

"Serena, are you ok?" Matty asked worriedly.

"Huh?" Serena replied.

"You screamed, dumbass." Rochelle said snappily.

"I did?" Come to think of it, her throat _was_ pretty sore…

"Wha's 'appening?" Louise slurred, her green eyes drowsy.

"Dunno. Need sleep." Amelia replied, burying her dark head further into her pillows.

"Sleep good." Louise agreed. "Nigh' nigh'." She fell back asleep, snoring softly.

"Mmph." Amelia said, also going back to sleep. Rochelle followed their examples. Only Matty and Serena were left awake.

"Let's go have some hot chocolate." Matty suggested. Serena nodded.

"Now," Matty said ten minutes later, leaning her elbows against the kitchen table, "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Serena said wittily.

"Oh, please. You know I'm a light sleeper, Serena. And you've been moaning and muttering in your sleep for months now. You're losing weight too. And your grades have…ok…they haven't suffered. In fact, you've been fanatical about doing your homework and getting at least 99% at all times. What's going on? You've never been this bad before. Heck, I've never seen anything like this before." Matty sounded so truly worried that it struck a chord deep inside Serena. 

Suddenly, without meaning to, Serena spilled everything that had been happening since before her thirteenth birthday six months ago. Matty listened patiently, and, an hour later Serena's throat was hoarse, and she was finished. 

Matty rubbed her freckled nose, tugging on a lock of golden hair with her other hand. "Well," She said, "Well. This certainly is a surprise. You know…Ami sounds a lot like Amelia." Serena nodded, "And Rochelle sounds like Rei." Another nod, "Louise like Lita…and I'll bet that I'm probably like Mina. It seems to me that that book of yours was right. You _do_ share a soul with someone else. And that's probably why you became such good friends with us, because we are the counter-parts of this other Serena's fighting partners. Undoubtedly Princess Serenity knew them as well."

"What?!" Serena yelped.

"Don't you get it? It seems to me that this 'Sailor Moon' is the reincarnation of Princess Serenity. After all, wasn't Serenity the _Moon_ princess?"

"Er…"

"Exactly." Matty smiled. "Hey…" She said, a mischievous smile lighting up her eyes, "Why does Artemis the male cat have a girl's name?" 

~Dream Sequence, Starlight Tower, Top Floor~

_"Ah well," Sailor Moon heard Zoisite say, "I'll just have to tell Queen Beryl that Darien died in an accident."_

_"No he didn't." Sailor Moon snapped. _

_"Yes he did. Tuxedo Mask is dead." Zoisite insisted._

_"Tuxedo Mask isn't even here." Sailor Moon said, confused._

_"Yes he is," Darien contradicted, before taking out a red rose, and transforming into Tuxedo Mask._

_"Y-_you're_ Tuxedo Mask?!" Sailor Moon gaped, all the while thinking of past encounters that suddenly made sense. _

_"Leave the rest to me." Tuxedo Mask said, moving forward and shielding Sailor Moon with his body. He smiled gently at her. "_**Mamotte ageru **_Sailor Moon." Sailor Moon smiled back at him. Tuxedo Mask turned to face Zoisite._

_"Let's settle this." Zoisite said._

_"Ok," Tuxedo Mask agreed, "But leave Sailor Moon out of it."_

_"Very well," Zoisite said, laughing. She flicked her hand, and Sailor Moon turned around to see a crystal spear heading for her heart. She stood, frozen. Suddenly, Tuxedo Mask jumped between her and the spear, falling to the ground as it hit him._

_"Nooo!!!!!!!" Sailor Moon cried, kneeling beside him. "Darien!" Darien/Tuxedo Mask smiled up at her weakly._

_"Couldn't…let…you…get…hurt." He said weakly, "Have…to…save…the…world… after…all." He coughed._

_"No, Darien, please don't die, please." Sailor Moon murmured, trying to stem the blood flow, not noticing that the Scouts had appeared. "Please, don't die, Darien. I couldn't bear it." A single tear fell down her cheek, and, quite suddenly, all seven of the Rainbow Crystals were floating in front of her. The tear hung in midair, and the crystals flew into it, turning into the Imperium Silver Crystal. Then, Sailor Moon's outfit changed, and she was wearing the dress that Princess Serenity wore. A crown was on her head, and she sat there, Darien's head cradled in her lap, while she mumbled under her breath…_

**Nande: **what****

**Huso: **fuck

**Hirekin:** shit

**Mamotte ageru **_Sailor Moon_**:** basically, I'll protect you, Sailor Moon.

 **Did you know? ****In the manga, Zoisite is killed by Sailor Venus, so obviously, there's no duel between Tuxedo Mask and Zoisite. Sailor V and Artemis join the Senshi party. Sailor Venus is the Moon Princess they've been searching for and now that she's found, the tiara on Sailor Moon's forehead turns into a moon-shaped crest. Sailor Venus and Artemis have been using the Sailor V game in the arcade to train the Senshi, especially Sailor Moon. Using the game machine, they could access a secret control room that was located under the arcade game. Sailor Venus also has a different transformation pen than the other Senshi.**  
  


**Thanks to these reviewers: **

**Silver Moonlight-81:** No, MilleniumFire isn't Serena. She's Rei, as you find out in this chapter.

**Ellen:** Thanks, I will.

**Shimmering Angel:** Thanks, I'm glad you like it. And yes, finally Mina is here. This is the second last chapter, so enjoy it. I hope to have the first chapter of the sequel; Welcome to Reality out by the end of January.

**Sage: The Dark Dryad:** RE the Japanese, I do Jap at school, one of my best friends live in Japan for three years, and my teacher is Japanese and she is constantly telling us to shut up in Japanese, as well as swearing under her breath when she sees my work, so I've picked up a lot of the more…colourful aspects. Lol.


	11. Whoever said Princesses had to be light!

**Title:** The Thirteenth Year

**Summary:** When All-American girl Serena Warren turns thirteen, weird things start happening. Every night she dreams of the life of a Moon Princess and as time progresses, her dreams become more and more real, so that finally, she cannot distinguish between the life she leads in her dreams and the one she is trying to live during the day.

**Author:** Silver Sparklze

**Reason for Writing:** A challenge, issued by Sage: The Dark Dryad

**Author's Notes:** Words written in **bold** will be translated at the end of the chapter. 

~Galaxy Dorm, Planet Orphanage, New York~

"Serena, time to wake up." Slowly, Serena opened her eyes.

"Go 'way, Mina-chan." She muttered, "'M still sleepy."

"Sorry, incorrect, you are the weakest link." The girl said. "I'm Matty, you dingbat."

"No! I don't wanna get up! You can't make me!" Serena whined.

"Serena I can and I will!" Matty snapped.

"**Hidoi, hidoi, hidoi yo!! Watashi no atama _kizu_ desu!!**" Serena wailed, burrowing even further into her pillows.

 "**Shizuka ni shiro**, and get up!" Was all Matty said in return before flouncing out.

Ever since Matty had found out that Serena was having the Soul-Dreams two weeks ago, she and Serena had gotten a lot closer. They spoke in Japanese all the time, Matty claiming that Serena was helping her study for her exams by helping her with her pronunciation and sentence structure. If was odd, but ever since Serena had told Matty her big secret she hadn't had a single Soul-Dream. She kind of missed them…and she wanted to see what happened to her other half. 

Sighing, Serena jammed her pillow over her head, and went back to sleep…

~Dream Sequence, Starlight Tower, Tokyo~

_Zoisite attacked Princess Serenity, but Princess Serenity wasn't even slightly bothered. Dreamily, she held up the Moon Sceptre, noticing that the Silver Crystal had set itself on the inside of the crescent moon._

_"Moon Scepter Elimination." She said softly._

_"No!!!!! Aiiiiiieeeeeee!" Zoisite shrieked, disappearing. Princess Serenity returned her attention to her love._

_"Prince Darien." She whispered. She half listened as Luna and Artemis explained their history to the other princesses. She knew it already. Why listen again? Instead, she concentrated on helping Prince Darien. Suddenly, everything went black…_

_When Sailor Moon awoke, she was slightly disorientated._

_"Serena may be a princess but she's no lightweight." Sailor Moon heard Sailor Jupiter say._

_"I heard that." She mumbled. "What happened, where am I?" _

_"You fainted." Ami said, "The power surge must have overloaded you."_

_"Wh-where's Darien? What happened to Darien? Did he die?"_

_"He's alive," Sailor Mars said slowly, "But the Nega-Verse took him." Sailor Moon's lip trembled, and Artemis obviously recognised the signs, because he began talking at once._

_"I've gotten my memory back," He said, "So Luna and I will now tell you the story of the Silver Millennium."_

_"A long time ago, we used to live on the moon, in a very peaceful time called the Silver Millennium. Queen Selenity ruled the Moon Kingdom, and everyone was very happy. Queen Selenity had one child, a girl named Princess Serenity. _

_"Princess Serenity was as sweet and beautiful as her mother, and they were very close. The Princess had four bodyguards, who were also members of her court, the princesses of Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus. The only other member of Princess Serenity's court was Prince Darien of Earth, the Princess' one true love._

_"But one day, something terribly happened. The Nega-Verse and Earth attacked the Moon Kingdom, killing everyone who lived there, and who fought. Princess Serenity and Prince Darien also died. With the last of her strength, Queen Selenity sent the souls of the princesses and Prince Darien to Earth, where they could be born again, and hopefully live out a more peaceful existence. You were awoken when Queen Beryl and the Nega-Verse became a threat once more, you were awoken to fight."_

_"I don't want to fight!" Sailor Moon cried, tears running down her face, "I don't want to be a princess. I don't care about my destiny. I don't want to fight anymore, to see everyone get hurt. I just want to be normal." Sailor Mars slapped her._

_"Weakling!" She snarled, "Wimp!"_

_"I am weak. I'm not strong like you. I can't just ignore how I feel!"_

_"Tuxedo Mask almost died protecting you!" Sailor Mars said, bursting into tears._

_"Sailor Moon isn't ready yet, Mars. Don't torment her." Artemis said sternly._

_"**Sugoi!**" Sailor Mercury cried then, looking up from her palm-pilot, "I found the exit!" _

_Suddenly, Malachite appeared. Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter immediately stood in front of the other three scouts._

_"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Jupiter bellowed._

_"Crescent Beam Smash!" Venus said at the same time. Their attacks combined, the gold light surrounding the green lightning, and hitting Malachite together. But Malachite easily caught the energy, and sent it back at them, causing them to fall to the ground._

_"I'll leave the rest to you, Sailor Mercury." Sailor Mars said, before turning to Sailor Moon. "Be strong, Serena. You can do it; I know you can. Don't let Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter's sacrifices be in vain."_

_"I can't." Sailor Moon sobbed._

_"Yes you can! I know I haven't always been nice to you, but I've always recognised your potential. You're very strong, Sailor Moon. All you have to do is to focus that energy." Sailor Mars stood in front of Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury, taking up the place that had been vacated by Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter._

_"Mars Fire Ignite!" But Malachite blocked this attack too, and hit Mars with her own energy. Sailor Moon was vaguely aware that this was what one called a Cruel Irony, but she was too busy worrying about her friends to investigate further. Sailor Mercury pushed Sailor Moon back so that she could protect her._

_"Protect the Princess above all else," The blue-haired girl mumbled, "Protect the princess above all else." She seemed to be almost in a dream. Malachite blasted her as well, and she fell to the ground, leaving only Sailor Moon standing. Suddenly, she heard voices._

_'Fight, Sailor Moon.' Sailor Mars said._

_'We know you can do it.' Agreed Sailor Jupiter and Venus._

_'Use the Silver Crystal.' Sailor Mercury counselled._

_'I love you, Sailor Moon…' Tuxedo Mask added._

_"This is for Zoisite!" Malachite yelled, gathering up a huge mass of Dark Energy, before sending it towards her. Sailor Moon held up her Crescent Moon Wand, and deflected the energy easily. _

_This action had the rather unfortunate effect of blowing up the entire tower, and sending Sailor Moon's mind hurtling through time and space. She saw things she'd never thought she'd see, and even spent a few moments in the ruins of the Moon Kingdom. Finally, she came back into herself, and found that she was watching the sunrise over the water. _

_The rest of the Sailor Scouts walked up to her, and, without turning around, Sailor Moon said the words she felt they needed to hear, and that she needed to say._

_"I'll fight." She said softly, "I promise."_

~Galaxy Dorm, Planet Orphanage, New York.~

Slowly, Serena woke up, her heart aching with sadness. _Poor, poor Serena. She lost the one person who meant the most to her._ She thought sadly, finally getting up, and taking a look at the clock. 10.30 am. She shrugged idly. No use in heading to school now. Might as well stay at home, and begin that story. It was time. 

She grinned as she grabbed a notebook, thinking for a moment. Finally, biting her lip, she put pen to paper.

_'My name is Seraphina Tsuno, and I'm an ordinary girl. At least; I used to be…'_

**_Finite_**

**Hidoi, hidoi, hidoi yo!! Watashi no atama _kizu_ desu!!:** You're cruel, you're cruel, you're cruel!! My head _hurts_!!

**Shizuka ni shiro:** shut up.__

**Sugoi:** cool

**Did you know? In the manga (this follows directly on from the last did you know) ****Kunzite attacked the Senshi and Sailor Moon wanted to protect Sailor V, the Moon Princess. She cast Sailor V and the other Senshi away with her Crescent Wand. Then, Kunzite attacked Sailor Moon with large bolt of energy. Sailor V called out, "Oh, no! Protect Sailor Moon!"  
  
Tuxedo Mask, who blamed himself for not being able to protect Sailor Moon from Zoisite when he was caught in a force field in the last act (read; episode), said to himself, "This time...I'll protect her...for once." He jumped in front of Sailor Moon and was blast by the bolt. Sailor Moon cried over him and the trauma brought back her memory of Prince Endymion dying in her arms. When he opened his eyes slightly and saw Sailor Moon crying, he too remembered the past when he was dying and remembered that his name was Endymion. **

**"I was reborn as Mamoru to find you, Serenity," he said and then died. **

**"Nooooo!!" Sailor Moon cried. The crest that hid her forehead shattered, revealing a glowing moon mark. The moon on Sailor V's forehead suddenly faded and a normal tiara appeared in its place. Sometime between the Moon Kingdom and present day Tokyo, Luna and Artemis had created the moon mark on Sailor V's forehead so she would act as a decoy princess while Luna could train Usagi to be a Sailor Senshi and keep her safe from Queen Beryl. Sailor V was actually Sailor Venus, the leader of the other three Sailor Senshi. Luna and Artemis themselves did not remember that they had done this or that Usagi was actually the Moon Princess until now.**

**Author's Notes (again): **Stay tuned for the epilogue of The Thirteenth Year, up soon.

**Thanks to these reviewers;**

**Shimmering Angel:** Thanks *blush*. Yes, she dreams of things exactly at the time they are happening. Except for in the first chapter, when she dreams about Princess Serenity. But that's no matter. What do you think of my little bookish passage? I liked it, but I wasn't sure if anyone else would. There's only this chapter and the epilogue to go now…sigh…'tis sad. Ah well, ce'est la vie.

**Sage: The Dark Dryad:** Thanks ^**.**^. Unfortunately, this is the second last chapter. The next one will be the epilogue. *Sigh* 'tis sad, very sad.

**Silver Moonlight-81:** Yeah, the episode when Princess Serenity appears is one of my favourites too. My sister was reading this the other day, and complaining about the fact that I had episodes in every chapter, but when she got up to this one, she read it, because it's her favourite chapter too.

**And the quote for the day is; After they make Styrofoam, what do they ship it in?**


	12. A forgotten memory

**Title:** The Thirteenth Year

**Summary:** When All-American girl Serena Warren turns thirteen, weird things start happening. Every night she dreams of the life of a Moon Princess and as time progresses, her dreams become more and more real, so that finally, she cannot distinguish between the life she leads in her dreams and the one she is trying to live during the day.

**Author:** Silver Sparklze

**Reason for Writing:** A challenge, issued by Sage: The Dark Dryad

**Author's Notes:** Words written in **bold** will be translated at the end of the chapter. This is the last chapter of this story, so I've made it the longest, compounding the last three eps of Sailor Moon here.

~Computer #2, Magickal Bean Coffee Shop/Internet Café, 132 West Street South, New York City~

Serena typed furiously, trying to get the story finished. She groaned as she felt a headache pulse behind her eyes.

"Are you ok, Rini?" Marnie asked concerned.

"**Atama kizu da**." Serena muttered.

"Go lie down in the back room on the sofa. You'll feel better in a moment." The waitress instructed, assuming that Serena was in pain.

"'K." Serena headed for the back room in a daze, and lay down on the couch, falling asleep almost immediately…

~Dream Sequence, Serena's bedroom, Tsukino **Uchi**, Tokyo.~

_"No…" Serena moaned, reaching out towards Tuxedo Mask, who turned away, sneering._

_"Why do you think I like you, Sailor Moon?" He asked scornfully, "You're a whiny crybaby. A klutz. A coward. And stupid to boot. You'd run out on your friends in a moment just to save your own arse."_

_"No I wouldn't" Serena cried. "I'd never do that! Yes, I'm a klutz and a crybaby and a coward. And yes I whine a lot, and I have no brain to speak of. But I _love_ my friends and I'd never desert them. And I love _you_! I love you, Tuxedo Mask!"_

_"Serena." Tuxedo Mask snapped, "Wake up. We've found the location of the entrance to the Dark Kingdom. Serena!" _

_Serena's eyes snapped open, and she realised that it was Luna talking, not Tuxedo Mask. And she burst into tears when she realised that once again her love had been taken away from her. Every time she dreamt about him it hurt to wake up. It hurt to realise that he wasn't the person she loved anymore. He was evil. And she would have to kill him. And she knew that she could never do that, she'd rather kill herself._

_"Did you say that Mina and Artemis have found the entrance to the Dark Kingdom?" She asked._

_"Yes." Luna replied. Serena got up and changed rather dreamily. _

_"Well what are we waiting for?" The blonde said, "Let's go." _

_Moments later they reached the Game Centre. There was a tunnel beneath it. Sailor Moon and the other Scouts followed Luna and Artemis cautiously. They walked down the dark tunnel, until suddenly a glob of energy formed in front of them. The energy turned into Malachite, who stood barring the way._

_"You cannot proceed to the Dark Kingdom." He snarled. "And I will have the Silver Crystal. Now!"_

_"Don't even think about it!" Sailor Jupiter yelled. "Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Malachite dodged the attack and threw some dark energy at the Scouts. They were all knocked off their feet, and Sailor Moon lost hold of the Crescent Moon Wand. Malachite grabbed at it, and missed as well, but when he touched it the Silver Crystal erupted in energy._

_Sailor Moon and the rest of the Scouts fell through a vortex, screaming. There was another blast of energy and…_

~Back Room, Magickal Bean Coffee Shop/Internet Café, 132 West Street South, New York City~

Serena woke up with a start. She grabbed her head, wincing at the pounding headache that had only gotten worse.

"Shit." She muttered, before lying back down and falling asleep.

~Dream Sequence, Unknown…that's all I know ^_^~

_Sailor Moon woke up slowly._

_"Uh," She groaned, "Remind me never to do that again." She looked around, and saw that the rest of the Scouts were still unconscious. And…what was that?! There was a strange glowing sphere…and it was coming towards her!! It hovered in front of her, and, try as she might, Sailor Moon could not take her eyes off the glowing orb. Suddenly, it changed into a small lady, with silver odangos and silver-blue eyes. She smiled kindly at Sailor Moon._

_"Hello, Serena," She said. _

_"Who are you?" Sailor Moon asked._

_"I am the spirit of Queen Selenity." The lady answered. "And now that the other princesses are awake, I will tell you a story…_

_"These ruins are all that is left of the Moon Kingdom. Once, it was a beautiful place where a peaceful people lived._

_"In the era known as the Silver Millennium, three planets of the inner solar system and five planets of the outer solar system were chosen to be guardians of the Moon Kingdom. The outermost planets: Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto would protect the entire universe beyond the edge of our own system. The four innermost planets: Mercury, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter, would watch over the Lunar empire, keeping trouble from harming the Royal Moon family. _

_"Four young princesses were chosen to take on this responsibility. The Princess Ami of Mercury, the Princess Mina of Venus, the Princess Rei of Mars, and the Princess Lita of Jupiter. Each were sworn to protect the Princess Serenity and to defend the Moon Kingdom against foes. _

_"One planet remained separate from the others. That planet was Earth. The Moon's sole purpose for existing. The Lunar Kingdom's assignment was to watch over the Earth, to look down and keep darkness from covering the fair land. Due to this task, Lunars were not allowed to communicate or meet with Earthlings. Against the judgement of her Senshi, the Princess Serenity had fallen in love with the Prince of Earth, of whom she was forbidden to love. Destiny has a way of bending and twisting rules to the snapping point. It was easily seen that the love they shared couldn't be kept apart. _

_"For many years there was a blissful time. All was well in the Moon Kingdom. People were happy and the land was full of extravagant parties and lovely picnics on the Sea of Serenity. In this time, the nine princesses forgot of their guardian duties and were simply starry-eyed teenage girls. _

_"But not everyone joined in this peaceful state. Living on the Earth was a very lovely young lady. Beautiful in face, yet dark in heart. This titian-haired lady's name was Beryl. For long she had pined after the handsome Prince of the Earth, Prince Darien. At a ball in the palace, a heartbroken girl witnessed her love embrace another. But not just any other, the Princess of the Moon. A legendary love had sparked that night, and Beryl was there to witness it all. _

_"Instead of crying, instead of mourning over the loss of her love, instead of finding someone else to whom to give her heart, Beryl chose to seek revenge. Metallia, a powerful swarm of energy fallen from an evil sunspot, was the one who promised her that chance. Together, Beryl and Metallia worked to destroy the Terran dynasty. Gathering rebels from the Earth, they struck out with a force of jealousy and anger. Becoming aware that this rebellion was taking place, Prince Darien sent word to the other planets and the finest warriors were sent to protect the Moon. _

_"A brutal war would soon be set on the Moon. The Lunars last battle in the Silver Millennium. Desperately the Senshi tried to protect their princess, fighting Beryl's minions with a fiery passion. Through all their bravery, something horrible occurred. Darien was sucked into a tornado of power. But he was not alone. Princess Serenity reached for him, and was pulled in too. I tried to save them, but was too late. Beryl struck the final blow, and killed my daughter and her love. _

_"Knowing that there was no hope that peace would regain its status on the Moon Kingdom, I used the last of my powers to seal Metallia with the Silver Crystal and send the Senshi to be reborn on Earth. But things didn't turn out as peacefully as I had anticipated._

_"That is why you are here now. I sensed your resolve was fading, and soon you would refuse to fight, daughter. So I brought you here. Look around you. This was once a great empire, the finest in the galaxy. But it was destroyed by hate and jealousy. You can bring it back to its former greatness, Serena. All you have to do is trust in yourself, and in Princess Rei, Princess Lita, Princess Mina, and Princess Ami. They will help you. As your court, it is their duty, and as your friends, their wish.__"_

_Sailor Moon gazed at the woman who had once been her mother, searching her face. There are similarities, plenty of them. In fact, they could have been twins. Serena knew she looked nothing like her parents, but she looked plenty like this woman._

_Suddenly, they were falling through the vortex again, and they landed back in the tunnel. In some strange way, Sailor Moon felt like her role had been defined, like she was now the disreputably the Princess of the Moon, and that the other Scouts were her protectors. It gave her a strange sense of relief._

_Just then there was a scream for help. Sailor Moon and the rest of the Scouts ran down the tunnel, hardly able to believe their eyes at what they saw. Artemis was vainly trying to protect Luna from Malachite, and it was obvious that he was getting nowhere._

_Malachite seemed surprised to see them, but quickly recovered, throwing two knives at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon tried to block them, but they sliced her arms. Reacting quickly, the Sailor Scouts invoked their powers and formed a barrier to protect Sailor Moon. They couldn't hold against the knives that came again and again. _

_Sailor Moon glared at Malachite, angry that he was hurting her friends._

_"Moon Healing Activation!" She yelled, holding up the Crescent Moon Wand. Malachite resisted against the power of Sailor Moon, a power so strong that Sailor Moon could see her arms glowing with it. Malachite sent an energy knife at her, and Sailor Moon knocked it away with the Wand, causing it to hit him instead._

_"I'm coming, Zoisite!" Was all that Malachite said before he died. Sailor Moon slumped to the ground on her knees, looking tenderly at the black cat before her._

_"Let's go home," She said, "The Dark Kingdom can wait until Luna and Artemis are better."_

~The Back Room, Magickal Bean Coffee Shop/Internet Café, 132 West Street South, New York City~

Serena yawned, and sat up slowly, blinking tiredly.

"Omigod, Serena, are you alright?!" Matty's horrified voice asked.

"**Nande**?" Serena said drowsily. "**Wakarimasen…**"

"Look at your arms! How did you do that?!" Serena looked at her arms, and gasped. There was blood running down them from two long vertical slits.

"I…I have no idea…" Serena said slowly; "My arms were fine before I went to sleep."

"It was a Dream, then wasn't it." Matty said slowly.

"**Hai.**" Serena nodded. "There's a first aid kit back here somewhere…" She felt as though she was moving through treacle as she searched for the kit. Suddenly, the world receded as blackness overtook her…

~Dream Sequence, Hikawa Shrine, Tokyo~

_Serena met her friends at Rei's temple. They were all feeling rather nervous, so they teased one another to help rid the air of tension. Serena was teasing Ami about her boyfriend, Greg, when Artemis walked over with a grave look._

_"Let's break it up now. Time to transform." The girls nodded, suddenly serious._

_"MOON PRISM POWER!"_

_"MERCURY POWER!"_

_"MARS POWER!" _

_"JUPITER POWER!" _

_"VENUS POWER!" _

_"SCOUT POWER!" The girls transformed, and held hands. "SAILOR TELEPORT!"_

_Sailor Moon shivered as the snow fell down._

_"Why does the entrance to the Dark Kingdom have to be in the North Pole?" She complained. "I'm cold."_

_"Shut up, Sailor Moon." Rei snapped, "You're such a whiner." Sailor Moon fell silent, remembering the dream about Darien…and what he had said. They moved towards the entrance in silence._

_After a while the storm stopped and the weather cleared. Sailor Moon blinked. No…it could not be…_

_"Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon called, rushing towards her love. The other Scouts grabbed her, and pulled her to the ground. "Oof!" Sailor Moon got a mouthful of snow._

_"Don't, Sailor Moon, it's a monster from the Nega Verse." Sailor Jupiter was getting ready to destroy it when it suddenly changed into Andrew. She hesitated, and four tentacles reached out and grabbed her. The tentacles zapped her with electricity, and she cried out. "Jupiter Thunder Crash!" She yelled directly afterwards, killing two of the Nega-Monsters. Her body fell to the ground._

_"No!!!! Sailor Jupiter!!!!" Sailor Moon cried, running to her._

_"I know you can do it, Serena," Sailor Jupiter whispered, "You can defeat Metallia. Believe in yourself." She shuddered, and died._

_"No, Lita, please don't die," Sailor Moon whispered, cradling Sailor Jupiter's head in her lap, "You can't die. Don't leave me like everyone else does. Please, I need you." Finally, she got up, and threw the Crescent Moon Wand to the ground. "Take it, you can HAVE THE BLOODY CRYSTAL!" She shrieked, "JUST LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!"_

_"Sailor Moon, stop it!" Sailor Mercury cried, as Sailor Mars and Venus grabbed the hysterical blonde and stopped her from running off. But still Sailor Moon struggled. Finally, Sailor Mercury slapped her. Sailor Moon stopped, surprised, and Sailor Mercury looked horrified. "Oh, Serena, I'm so sorry." She whispered. Sailor Mars grabbed the Wand and handed it back to Sailor Moon. "Lita died fighting for justice, she died so that others wouldn't have to, are you going to let her death be in vain?" Sailor Mercury then asked._

_"No…" Sailor Moon whispered._

_"My computer is telling me that the other three Nega-Monsters have regrouped, and they're heading our way. I've got a plan. I'll be a decoy, and lead them away."_

_"No, Ami, you can't!" Sailor Moon cried._

_"It's better if I do it, since I'm the least powerful of all of you. I just hope I can buy you enough time to get in." Sailor Mercury nodded to Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus, and, to Sailor Moon's surprise, they grabbed her firmly under the arms and dragged her away. Serena continued to look back at Mercury until she could no longer see her. _

_About ten minutes later, Sailor Moon sensed Sailor Mercury's death._

_"I will always believe in you…Serena…" Ami's voice trailed off._

_"Nooooooooooooo!!!!!!! Amiiiiiii!!!!!!!" Serena wailed. "Ami! Please! No!" She turned to Venus and Mars, tears falling from eyes that had only just dried. "How can you be so unfeeling?! Ami is _dead_! _Dead_!!" She collapsed on the ice, sobbing. Quite suddenly, Sailor Venus grabbed her, and pushed her out of the way, only to be dragged underground. Moments later, Sailor Moon heard Mina screaming. "STOP!!" She yelled, "I'll _GIVE_ you the Silver Crystal!!!" Suddenly, the ice exploded, and when it cleared, Sailor Venus' lifeless body was lying on top. "Stay strong, Serena…" Mina's voice sighed._

_"No!!!!!! Mina!!!!!!!!" Sailor Moon called out, as Sailor Mars dragged her away. The two remaining Nega-Monsters appeared, and Sailor Mars stepped forward. Sailor Moon grabbed her arm. "Please, Sailor Mars, don't fight, I couldn't bear it if I lost you too." She begged._

_"Don't be silly, Sailor Moon," Sailor Mars said cheerfully, "I'm the most powerful of us all, so there's no way I'm going to die. Mars Fire…" _

_The two monsters dove under the earth, and appeared behind Sailor Mars, encasing her in an ice mountain. Then the monsters go to attack Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon was too shocked to do anything but stare at them blankly. _

_A fireball burst out of the side of the mountain and destroyed the attacking monster. The last monster went inside the ice mountain. The screaming went on for a long time… finally, the monster came out carrying Mars' body. Putting Mars down, the monster prepared to finish Sailor Moon, bur Sailor Mars grabbed one of its tentacles._

_"Mars Fire Ignite…" She whispered, killing them both. "Don't lose hope, Serena, fight for what you believe in." Was all she said._

_Sailor Moon sat down in the snow, shocked beyond all belief._

_"Gone," She whispered, "All gone." _Is this the price that has to be paid?_ She wondered, _The price of my freedom? The lives of my friends?__

_"Don't give up, Serena." Lita's voice said._

_"Yeah, we're counting on you." Ami added._

_"Be strong, we know you can do it." Mina encouraged._

_"Fight for what's right, Serena, don't let anyone get in your way." Rei coached. Sailor Moon stood up._

_"They're right." She said firmly, "I have to fight for what I believe in. My friends are depending on me, and so is the rest of the world." She raced off, running to meet the Dark Kingdom, and Darien…Queen Beryl is waiting…_

~ New York Base Hospital, Casualty Ward, Room 4~

"Unhh…" Serena groaned, waking up slowly.

"**Genki da**?"

"Mina?" Serena squinted. "No…you can't be…Mina's dead…all the Scouts are…" She began to cry.

"Oh, **Sere-chan**…" Serena was gathered into warm arms and rocked gently. "I'm sorry."

"**Machigatte iru to omoima. Soso atama kizu da**!"

"Shh…**naruhodo, naruhodo.**" Sobbing, Serena fell asleep, still smelling the warm tropical scent of Matty's hair…

~Dream Sequence, Entrance to the Dark Kingdom, Tokyo~

_Sailor Moon had just reached the entrance when a strange energy hit her and brought her inside. She watched as a light revealed the presence of her arch-nemesis, Queen Beryl._

_"Welcome to my kingdom, 'Princess'." Queen Beryl said, laughing. "Allow me to introduce you to my most loyal servant. Prince Darien?" Prince Darien came forward, and Sailor Moon caught her breath. The time had come, the time she'd always dreaded, and, just as she'd known then, she knew now. She couldn't kill him, not for anything in the world. _

_Prince Darien attacked her with one of his roses. Sailor Moon dodged._

_"Moon Healing Activation!" She cried, trying to restore Darien's memory like she had before. But it didn't work!_

_"Fool!" Queen Beryl gloated, "Metallia _never_ makes the same mistakes twice! Prince Darien's memory has been cleansed completely."_

_"**Shine, **Sailor Moon." Prince Darien said carelessly, tossing a black rose at her. The stem expanded, and tied Sailor Moon up, trying to fry her. Sailor Moon screamed._

_"Darien!!!!" She cried. The rose disintegrated and Sailor Moon fell to the ground. Prince Darien then picked her up by the neck and proceeded to blast her with energy. _I'm sorry, guys._ She thought wearily, as her strength deteriorated, _I failed you.__

_"Enough." Queen Beryl said. Prince Darien threw Sailor Moon aside, and, by chance, she landed right next to her Wand. But Sailor Moon no longer had the strength, or the will, to grab it._

_'Try, Sailor Moon.' A soft voice encouraged. Sailor Moon suddenly had an idea. Weakly, she grabbed her tiara._

_"Kill her." Queen Beryl commanded._

_"Moon Tiara Magic." She whispered, throwing the tiara with all her strength. It hit Prince Darien in his midsection, and he collapsed. Suddenly, a black aura surrounded him, and he was raised to his feet, sword in hand. But he had given Sailor Moon just enough time to launch her final attack. She slipped her locket off her neck, and held it out to him, eyes full of tears. Slowly, Prince Darien touched it. Sailor Moon saw the memories flooding through his mind, including one that she herself had forgotten._

**Serena was in the hospital to see her mama, she had a new baby brother, and daddy had given her some red roses to present to him, when she heard someone crying. She walked into a hospital room, and was confronted with a boy a couple of years older than her, who was crying.**

**"Don't cry," She said. "What's wrong?"**

**"I'm sad." Was all he said in reply. Serena held out a rose to him.**

**"Here," She said, "Maybe this will make you feel better." The boy smiled.**

**"Thanks. My name's Darien, what's yours?"**

**"Serena."**

_"Serena…" Darien said. Sailor Moon smiled, realising that he had his memory back. _

_"No!" Queen Beryl cried, sending a rock spear to destroy them both. Without looking, Darien threw a red rose, and the spear shattered, a piece going into Darien's back. The rose hit Queen Beryl, and she retreated._

_"Run, Sailor Moon," Darien said weakly, "Run before the cavern falls apart." He reached up and touched her cheek with a quivering hand, "I love you, **Odango Atama.**"_

_"No!!! Darien!!! Not again!" Sailor Moon began to cry, but suddenly stood up, her fact the picture of determination. "I will get you for this, Metallia." She vowed, "If it's the last thing I do." She strode towards the entrance of the Dark Kingdom, where she got ready for her final battle…_

_Shock rocked through Sailor Moon's system as Metallia sent a wave of dark energy that caught her head on. The attack formed an ice mound rather like those serving as markers for the other Scouts, and this thought angered Sailor Moon so much that she blew the top of the tower open in her rage, and felt herself change into Princess Serenity at the same time. 'No, **Sere-chan,** don't do it!' Luna's voice filled her mind, but Princess Serenity ignored it, having no idea what the cat meant anyway._

_The two combatants faced each other. Then Princess Serenity activated the power of the Silver Crystal. Queen Metallia attacked, and the power of the Crystal held her off. Queen Metallia intensified her attack and the protective bubble started shrinking. Princess Serenity couldn't hold on by herself, but she got help…_

_The spirits of the deceased Sailor Scouts joined Princess Serenity and each invoked their power: "Mercury Power!...Mars Power!...Jupiter Power!...Venus Power!...Moon Prism Power!" The Silver Crystal threw an energy ball at Queen Metallia, completely consuming her. Serenity faded away and Sailor Moon collapsed. Sailor Moon stared up at the sky and whispered her thanks...then she died... _

~New York Base Hospital, Casualty Ward, Room 4~

"**Iie!!!!!!!!!!!**" Serena awoke screaming the words, tears running down her cheeks.

"**Sere-chan**!" Matty said, jerking awake, "**Genki da?**** Machigatte iru to omoimasuka?**"

"I died…I'm dead…" Serena whispered, "I'm dead…"

"No you're not, don't be silly, **Sere-chan**. **Shine-janai-kata**. Shhh…just relax…go to sleep, there's a good girl." Slowly, Serena fell asleep again, soothed by her friend's calm voice.

~Three Weeks Later, The Kitchen, Planet Orphanage, New York~

"Serena, Serena!" Matty came tearing into the kitchen, where Serena was washing up with one of the girls from the Luna dorm.

"What's wrong?" She asked, concerned. She and Matty were closer than ever now that Serena told Matty everything.

"You've got a letter! From the company that sponsored the Manga Contest!"

"Really?!" Serena grabbed the letter, and read it quickly.

_'Dear Miss Warren,_

_We are sad to inform you that you did not win the Manga contest. While your story was good, it was too farfetched. However, we would love to read more of your work, if you feel like sending it to us._

_Signed_

_Kimiko Nasumi_

_Ryoko Atama_

_Senjai Yokomi'_

"Well?" Matty asked.

"I didn't win, thank god." Serena said.

"What? You didn't want to win?" 

"Nah. The minute I posted it I had second thoughts. I just want to finish school before I do anything else. Oh, wanna know why they didn't accept?"

"Why?"

"My story was 'too farfetched'." Matty and Serena giggled…

**_Fin (for real this time ^.^)_**

**Atama kizu da:** my head hurts. (informal)

**Uchi:** house

**Nande:** what

**Wakarimasen:** I don't understand. (informal)

**Hai:** yes

**Genki da: **are you ok

**Sere-chan:** Serena (affectionate. Used between family, close friends, and lovers.)

**Machigatte iru to omoima. Soso atama kizu da: **This is wrong. And my head still hurts!

**Naruhodo, naruhodo: **I know, I know.

**Shine: **die

**Odango Atama:** Meatball Head

**Genki da?**** Machigatte iru to omoimasuka: **Are you ok? What's wrong?

**Shine-janai-kata: **You aren't dead.

**Did you know? ****The human Beryl embraced Queen Metallia's evil force because she wanted Prince Endymion to love her and was jealous of Princess Serenity's relationship with him. As Queen Beryl died in the manga, she admitted this and admitted spying on them when the Princess snuck away to Earth to be with Endymion.  
  
The deaths of Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion at the end of the Silver Millennium were very different in the manga. When Queen Beryl attacked the two of them, Prince Endymion shielded Princess Serenity and was killed by the blast. Princess Serenity was so grief-stricken that she took his sword and she killed herself.  
  
When she saw the dead couple, Queen Serenity thought, "I felt this love affair end sadly. A love between the Earth and the Moon could never be. I'll seal it away...that demon and this Moon...and give you to the future! This time...you'll be born on the same planet and you'll find happiness there." That was the reason why she sent them all to Earth.******

**Attention!! Important Quote/Announcement!!! There will be a rain dance Friday night, weather permitting. ^.^**


End file.
